Kids, quick, fire up your imagination!

NAMES WANTED FOR NEW FLEET OF AIRPORT ENGINES

CHILDREN are being asked to let their imaginations take flight to come up with names for a new fleet of fire engines at East Midlands Airport.

Four new fire vehicles need creative monikers before they carry out their duties of helping planes land and take off.

The lucky winners will be invited to a naming ceremony at the airport, in Castle Donington, as well as getting to see the vehicles up close.

The competition is for children aged up to 12 who are being asked to submit the most creative, fun and imaginative names for four Sania Angloco 8750 vehicles.

These new engines have replaced the airport’s “ageing” fleet of fire trucks which were becoming too expensive to maintain, a spokesperson said.

Suggestions for names can be submitted from Monday, August 16 and the competition will run until Friday, September 3.

In its invitation to kids to take part, the airport said: “The most creative, fun and imaginative names for the vehicles will be selected by the airport’s firefighting teams.

“The winners will be invited to a naming ceremony and will have the opportunity to see the fire engines in action.”

And, to help fire up children’s imaginations, the airport has published these facts and figures about its fire service and the new fleet, hoping to inspire suggestions.

All airports have firefighting teams based on the airfield. Their presence is essential as aircraft cannot land or take off without them, it said.

The new Angloco trucks can carry 8,000 litres of water and 600 litres of foam.

With their 70m hoses, they can pump up to 4,500 litres of water a minute, the airport said.

Flights operate at East Midlands Airport 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so a team of firefighters are also one duty.

A total of 48 firefighters split their time between four “Watches”, with each Watch working a 12-hour shift before being replaced by a new one.

The position of the “airside” fire station is critical. The team needs to be within three minutes reach of any part of the airfield.

Suggestions should be emailed to the address below, along with the child’s name and age.

The subject box of the email should say “fire engine name competition”.