Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue adds Skoda Kodiaqs to fleet

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue service has added 21 Skoda Kodiaqs to its fleet.

The 2.0 TDI cars will be used for flexible duty officer transport duties when attending operational incidents.

They are the first Skodas to be used by the service and have been converted by one of the manufacturer’s approved conversion specialists – Pressfab EVO – to meet the service’s specific requirements.

This includes the fitment of blue-lights and fully integrated communications equipment, as well as fire extinguishing apparatus.

Colin Carter, fleet operations manager at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue service, said: “We have opted for a fleet of Kodiaqs largely due to the amount of space on offer inside.

“The boot has enough room for all of the equipment required by our flexible duty fire officers, and the option of having the cars converted by Skoda’s approved converters prior to delivery makes it much easier for us to get the vehicles into service.”

Skoda offers a choice of bespoke emergency service converters to ensure its cars can meet the requirements of ambulance, police and fire and rescue teams.

This includes integration of the emergency services’ communications platform within the infotainment touchscreen.

Skoda also has a network of approved specialist converters to meet individual conversion requirements.