New hose technology safer for firefighters

Firefighters have unveiled a new hose that cuts through concrete and steel.

Water and abrasive is fired out of the hoses, called Ultra High Pressure Lances, to create a thumbnail-sized hole. Firefighters can then hose down buildings from the outside.

The new technology, called Coldcut Cobra, will be carried on a £7.6million fleet of 40 bespoke fire engines and initially will be rolled out mainly in rural areas. It means firefighters won’t have to risk their lives entering burning buildings.

In demonstrations, firefighters blasted water into a burning building, cooling the temperature by hundreds of degrees in less than a minute.