A new Unimog fire engine has been bought by Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service at a cost of nearly half a million pounds to help deal with the increased threat of heath fires in Purbeck.
The specially commissioned fire fighting vehicle, which will be based at Wareham fire station, has the ability to drive over burning heathland and tackle flames without any officers even needing to leave the vehicle.
The new super Unimog has been specially designed to fight heath fires
Get to the heart of a blaze faster
Thanks to water jets which can be deployed from the front and top of the vehicle, and a capacity of 4,500 litres of water and 162 litres of foam, it can get to the heart of a blaze faster without any danger to its fire officers.
And because that will lessen the need for officers with beaters around the perimeter of heath fires, it should also free up more staff to attend other incidents.
The Unimog, which was designed by Wareham’s watch manager Steve Nicol to be a fire station’s dream, has already dealt with fires at Sandford, Creech, and in Wareham Forest since arriving in Purbeck on Friday 20th June 2025.
It was intended to replace an existing Unimog at Wareham fire station which is now 16 years old, but as the vehicles have proved so effective at fighting heath fires and thatched roof blazes, the older is likely to stay in service for some while longer.
That will be a blessing for Purbeck, as the number of heath fires is continuing to grow year on year, thanks to hotter summers, carelessness with disposable barbecues and camp fires, and deliberate fire setters.
Darren Langdown said that the new version of the Unimog was simply exceptional
“Specially designed for wild fires”
Assistant chief fire officer Darren Langdown of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said:
“The Unimog has been a very successful vehicle for us, but the original has come to the end of its life cycle and so we invested in a new version with some new features – but we will keep both as long as we can because they are simply exceptional.
“The new vehicle has great offroad capabilities, which means we can get water and foam to a fire quicker than we can get our firefighters on foot, or in other vehicles.
“It carries more than twice the amount of water of a standard fire engine and has front, rear and roof mounted monitors that can pump large quantities of water or foam at a fire while it is actually driving along with the firefighters inside the cab.
“You can imagine, they can just drive alongside a fire and put the flames out quickly. It is a specially designed vehicle for wild fires, but is also exceptional for other incidents in remote areas and incidents which can include flooding and thatch fires as well as large fires in the open.”
With go anywhere tyres and water jets which can be deployed while the vehicle is moving, the Unimog is ready for action
Over 400 wildfires in six months
Darren Langdown added:
“We have seen an increase in the number of wildfires across the country over the past five years, but a significant spike in Dorset and Wiltshire – we have already seen more wildfires this year, over 400 in the first six months, than we have had in the last two years combined.
“Climate change is one of the reasons, and we also see fires caused by the use of disposable barbecues, camp fires and discarded smoking materials, but the most likely cause is now deliberate ignition.
“We have to ask the public to act responsibly and bring a picnic with them instead of barbecues, please don’t have campfires and be especially careful how you dispose of flammable waste.
“We are also asking people if they see a wild fire to please call us quickly and then leave the area quickly and safely – they are very dangerous incidents, fire can travel quicker than people can run and do pose a significant risk to our firefighters as well.”
Wareham Fire Station’s watch manager Steve Nicol helped design the Unimog with Purbeck heathland in mind
“It’s a cracking vehicle!”
Wareham Fire Station’s watch manager Steve Nicol said:
“I was involved with the search for a new ultra off road vehicle and looked at everything on the market, but we always kept coming back to Unimogs for what they can deliver and how easy it is to personalise them.
“The tyres have undergone an upgrade and are now more like tractor type tyres which can go over any land, and the tyre pressures can actually be adjusted to the type of terrain at the touch of a button from inside the cab.
“At heath fires, you will often see a lot of officers with beaters over their shoulders working really hard, whereas the Unimog can now just rock up and get water straight onto the fire which saves us a lot of crew hours, who can be released to other incidents like house fires or traffic incidents.
“Not only can this Unimog release water while it is moving through remote controls, we have fan sprays on the front so we can put a barrier of water in front of us and essentially drive over low level flames, fighting the fire from an air conditioned cab – it’s a cracking vehicle!”
The unveiling of a new half million pound fire engine made TV news
“A game changer on the heath”
Steve Nicol added:
“The intention was to retire the older Unimog, but as there are spates of incidents at the moment we may look at relocating the original elsewhere and maybe in the future purchase a second one.
“We think it’s going to be a game changer on the heath land and with hotter and drier summers, there will be extra pressure on rural stations like ours and they are going to be used more and more often.
“We are low on numbers of fire fighters at Wareham at the moment and if anyone wants to come and talk to us about joining and maybe even using this vehicle, then come and see us at the fire station.”
Old and new models of the Unimog have been a true game changer in Purbeck
Off road capability hugely enhanced
Unimogs are highly versatile, all wheel drive, multi purpose vehicles manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, known for their exceptional off road capabilities, ruggedness and ability to be customised with various attachments for specialised tasks.
In the case of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Unimog, its off road capability has been significantly enhanced.
It now features upgraded tyres, the addition of a low-ratio gear box and the ability to set the tyre pressures to the type of terrain.
Purbeck’s new Unimog is likely to be on display at Wareham Carnival from Friday 18th July to Sunday 20th July 2025, and at Wareham Wednesdays in August.
