New design for Mansfield fire engine to create safer streets

A fire engine from Mansfield Fire Station has been wrapped with branded artwork to support the Safer Oak Tree project.

This project is part of the Safer4All funding provided by the Police and Crime Commissioner, where plans were put in place to make people safe and feel safer on the streets of Nottinghamshire.

The decision to use funding to cover Mansfield district came from a rise in anti-social behaviour (ASB) on the Oak Tree estate in the past few years.

Last summer we received a high volume of calls regarding deliberate fires in this area, and firefighters attended 87 incidents from April 2022 to September 2022.

Fortunately, most of these incidents were easily resolved however one sadly got out of control, putting the Oak Tree Leisure Centre at risk.

A fire engine has now been wrapped with branded artwork and is out in the community in hopes that it will contribute towards the prevention of the issues we have been facing.

Earlier this month, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) staff joined Mansfield District Council and Nottinghamshire Police at the leisure centre, for the formal unveiling of the fire engine.

Gemma Hardie, District Prevention Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We take deliberate fire setting very seriously at NFRS, so we are very proud to be working with our partners on this project to help tackle these issues both in Mansfield, and over the rest of the county.

“Having our fire engine from Mansfield wrapped in this design means we can hopefully educate our communities and take further steps to keeping people and the environment safe.

“Although we have already seen a huge reduction of deliberate fires since the start of the Safer Streets project, we want to remind you that anyone can report information on deliberate fire setting anonymously to FireStoppers on 0800 169 5558.”

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Caroline Henry, said: “It’s fantastic to hear about this trailblazing work being done to capture people’s attention and raise awareness surrounding antisocial behaviour across Mansfield.”

"Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service plays a vital role alongside Nottinghamshire Police to ensure our people feel safe and are safe in their own communities.”

Councillor Angie Jackson, Portfolio Holder for Wellbeing, Health and Safer Communities, said: “Although the Safer4All project is coming to an end, I’m really pleased that we have had some fantastic results to shout about in the Oak Tree area. Some of this success can be attributed to the increased presence of the fire service, education work carried out in schools and the apprehension of offenders.

“I hope that the new artwork on this fire engine will help to reiterate the message to residents that progress has been made and also help to prevent future ASB issues arising.”