Electric vehicle charging points are to be installed at fire stations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as part of the fire service’s drive to be carbon neutral by 2050.
The move will pave the way for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service’s (HIWFRS) fleet of non-operational light vehicles to be electrified, improving air quality across communities and reducing carbon emissions. The service already has 4 electric vehicles for staff use but the installation of charging points by 2023 will help to increase this number.
The scheme is part of a bold and ambitious plan announced by HIWFRS to meet the UK’s net-zero target and build on carbon reduction work already carried out.
All 61 of the service’s fire stations, plus headquarters in Eastleigh, will also be surveyed to identify environmentally friendly improvements that can be made, such as insulation and heating upgrades.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority (HIWFRA) approved the Carbon Reduction Pathway and the £1.1million needed to fund the package of work at its meeting on 27th July. This includes upgrades to the Fleet Maintenance Centre to ensure that the team have the skills and specialist tools needed to maintain an increasing electric fleet.
Councillor Rhydian Vaughan MBE, Chairman of HIWFRA, said:
“We all have a responsibility to play our part in reducing harmful carbon emissions.
“These plans will allow our Fire and Rescue Service to set the wheels in motion as it carries on the vital work needed to drive down its carbon footprint.”
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A study carried out by the Carbon Trust shows that 57% of HIWFRS’ carbon emissions come from the estate, with most of the service’s buildings now more than 50 years old. The remaining 43% is from the vehicle fleet.
Chief Fire Officer Neil Odin has said:
“It is vital that we invest now in our carbon reduction strategy if we are to meet the government’s target of reaching net zero by 2050.
“This is an important first step and a really significant opportunity to make a difference that will benefit our colleagues and the communities we serve both now and in the future.”
Emperors new clothes .how easily people have been conned into believing this carbon nonsense .
Ok boomer, we can jus let the earth melt instead then. Good idea.
More wasted money. Meanwhile back in China and India the pollution continues to increase.
You just proved my point .hilarious .
Do people think the electric required to power electric vehicles is free? If every car in this country is electric, we won’t have the infrastructure to provide the electric. Even if the UK goes 100% carbon free, it will NOT make a difference.The UK only produces 1% of the worlds pollution. India, China, USA etc are the big polluters and until they act, we cannot make a difference. It’s good we are trying but it’s like trying to put out a bush fire with an eye drop.
What a criminal waste of resources and money. there is nothing clean about battery powered vehicles, its a case of repeat the lie until it becomes the truth. Next time you look at a big container ship going past the island remember it produces the pollution of fifty million diesel cars in a year, if its a newer ship, its only about ninteen million. This enviromental window dressing is becoming a disease, and whilst ordinary people are forced into useless “green” products, ships will pollute and the upper atmosphere will benefit from trips into sub space for the rich who lecture us about sustainability.