SWINDON firefighters have gained a new piece of armoury in their fight against fire.

The £350,000 Bronto Skylift can take firefighters 32 metres (105 feet) into the air, the height of more than seven double-decker buses, giving them access other skylifts cannot reach.

The aerial ladder platform is the first of its kind in Swindon, and replaces the station's 10-year-old Italmec platform, which had a maximum height of just 26 metres (85 feet).

The extra reach can give access to an additional two floors of a burning building.

It also has better horizontal projection, allowing firefighters to navigate the platform into nooks and crannies.

"It's smaller and will enable us to get around Swindon's narrow streets," said Lance Forster, leading firefighter at Swindon fire station, which took delivery of the new platform yesterday.

"Sometimes we can't get close enough to the buildings to get to work. But the new platform will provide better access and make life safer for us.

"It's a better machine and could save more lives."

As well as providing a safe working platform for firefighters, the Bronto Skylift is also capable of producing a more effective water tower.

This is where a jet of water powered at a rate of 3,000 litres per minute is directed onto a fire from above, making it easier to put out blazes quickly.

The Skylift includes ladders, a cage, six 500-watt bulbs and camera with thermal imaging.

Although based at Swindon fire station, it will be called out across the whole of the town and other parts of Wiltshire.

"It won't go to every single incident and we might only use it a couple of times a week," said Mr Forster.

"But it's a special piece of equipment and will be quite crucial. It's at the cutting edge of technology and will make things much easier for us."