Tanya Smyth, MD for SFS FIRE, proudly receiving the keys for their new fleet of Hybrid vans – Sustainable Fire Safety

SFS Fire Engineering chooses the Toyota Corolla Commercial

Fire protection specialist SFS Fire Engineering has replaced its vehicle fleet with six hybrid-electric Toyota Corolla Commercial vans. The new vehicles will be used by their team of engineers who work nationwide installing and maintaining fire protection equipment.

A family run business based in Slough, SFS was established in 1997.  It designs, supplies, maintains and installs all types of fire prevention equipment for a wide range of commercial and industrial customers, including fire alarms, fire extinguishers, fire training and  emergency lighting.

Explaining the decision to switch the company’s fleet from diesel vehicles to petrol electric hybrids, Tanya Smyth, SFS Managing Director, said: “Part of our sustainable business plan is to reduce our average fleet CO₂ emissions. The Corolla Commercial achieved this result and also provided our engineers with the comfort of a car-derived van, with the added advantage it is manufactured in the UK, further reducing our carbon footprint.

“The fire safety industry is considered an essential service and it’s vital that we are able to support our clients 365 days a year.  We chose hybrids over electric vehicles as we cannot risk any vehicle downtime that would delay our engineers reaching our customers. Vehicles need to be on hand the moment we need them, 24 hours a day.”

Gareth Matthews, Toyota LCV Manager, commented: “SRS’s vehicle usage requirements illustrate perfectly why we introduced Corolla Commercial to the market with a hybrid electric powertrain.  We also offer battery electric commercial vehicles in our Toyota Professional range, but at present not every business is ready to adopt this technology. The Corolla Commercial hybrid gives customers the flexibility of reducing their emissions while maintaining the performance and convenience their work demands.”

The vehicles were supplied through Neil Glasson at Currie Motors Fleet Business Centre, building on the long-standing relationship SFS have had with the retailer – https://media.toyota.co.uk/