Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has switched to a greener fuel for its fleet of 162 vehicles, including fire engines.

The fire service will be changing the fuel in its own fuel stores to gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel.

GTL converts natural gas – a fossil fuel – into liquid fuel that would otherwise be made from crude oil.

Historically, fire engines have used diesel to get around the county, but as part of the service’s and county council’s commitment to tackling climate change, the service has been working to identify a greener solution.

Fire service vehicles can either refuel at petrol stations, or they can access one of the service’s own fuel sources.

The move to GTL is also cost-effective. The service will spend roughly the same amount on the greener fuel each year as it was previously on diesel.

The switch is much cheaper than replacing the service’s fleet with electric vehicles, and it leaves room for a future move to carbon-negative fuel.

Currently, GTL is not readily available in retail stations, but the fuel can be safely mixed with diesel in the event that a fire engine needs to stop at a public forecourt to refuel.

Cllr Eric Buckmaster, executive member for the environment, said: “As part of our Sustainable Hertfordshire strategy we have committed to becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2030, which will inevitably involve removing fossil fuel derived energy from our vehicles.

“The introduction of gas-to-liquid fuel in our fire service vehicles is a fantastic first step towards this goal, giving us more efficient, less polluting fuel in the short term, with the potential of a completely carbon neutral fire service fleet in the near future.”

Executive member for community safety Morris Bright said: “The move to cleaner, greener GTL fuel is just one of the ways we’re making sure we have a fire service that continues to deliver a high-quality emergency response while considering how we can limit the impact of our vehicles on the environment.”