A total of 30 special Skoda Kodiaq SUVs have been added to the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service fleet with a further five to be added later this year. The vehicles will be used to assist in keeping more than 850,000 people safe across the region.
The popular 4×4 was selected to enable senior staff not based at its headquarters to be able to respond to incidents quickly and to support crews in emergency situations.
In addition to fires, the emergency teams can respond to road traffic accidents – reaching the scene of an incident efficiently and safely.
As well as their performance capabilities, all Kodiaqs delivered to the West Sussex Fire and Rescue team have been fully converted to meet the individual requirements of the service. This includes, for the first time ever in a Skoda, full integration of the emergency service’s warning system and communication platform within the brand’s existing infotainment touch screen. Having all controls operated through one system provides a seamless switch between vehicle and service controls.
Further conversions made at the request of the blue-light service were a light bar and siren, 360-degree lighting and a dedicated livery – all of which were completed by one of Skoda’s approved specialist partners, Pressfab EVO Limited.
“These new vehicles mark a significant investment in the fire and rescue service, and will ensure our officers are equipped with the very latest technology to help them respond in an emergency situation,” said Paul Mace, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service’s Area Manager for Fleet.
“We have been delighted with the specification of the Kodiaq and were able to work closely with Skoda throughout the manufacturing process to ensure all of our officers’ needs are met.
“A key benefit of these new models is that they have allowed for the full integration of multiple additional systems into the vehicles’ standard systems, allowing for all controls to be coordinated in one central location.”
