WEST Devon's fire and rescue teams have a new weapon in their arsenal this week, writes Alan Gregory.

A brand new four wheel drive Ford Ranger was delivered to the Tavistock station — one of four in the county being tested over the next six months as a multi-use vehicle.

Tavistock's fire chief Chris Neale said it had a number of roles, including transporting personnel for tasks such as maintaining fire hydrants and carrying out fire prevention and ferrying supplies to the fire fighters engaged in major blazes.

But it would be most useful in getting teams across rough ground, such as moorland and farmers' fields he said.

The Ranger will be able to carry four fire fighters, a portable pump and quite a lot of other equipment.

Mr Neale said: 'A couple of weeks ago we had a combine harvester on fire across two fields.

'This would have helped a great deal, in that we could have got to it quicker if we'd had the 4x4, and perhaps reduced the amount of damage to the machine.'

Any of the fire fighters with an ordinary license can drive the Ranger for day-to-day duties, but they will be undergoing training for emergency situations and for taking it off-road.

It will be stationed in Tavistock where it is most likely to be used because of its location next to Dartmoor and in the heart of rural West Devon.

It will also be available for use all over the fire service's western division from Princetown to Bere Alston and on into the South Hams.