Earlier this month the ForWare team attended the Emergency Fleet Exhibition and the National Association of Police Fleet Managers´ Conference at Telford UK or if you prefer, NAPFM22. Emergency fleets are perhaps one of the most complex branches of Fleet Management, with the need for specialist parts and equipment on top of the regular fleet maintenance and control regimes. NAPFM brings together the best and brightest from across the UK’s Emergency Services fleets and their suppliers. It’s quite an interesting show, with a diverse range of specialised equipment on display. Let’s take a look at what were some of the highlights for us at this year’s show.
Tesla Police Fleet Vehicles
One of the most striking exhibits at this year’s Emergency Fleet Exhibition was the Tesla Model Y police cars. Already making inroads into police fleets in the US, the Model Y has been on trial in certain UK police fleets since last year. It’s said to be capable of undertaking over 200 hours of advanced blue light driving. It’s able to get from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and with a 300-mile range should be ideal for patrol duties around the UK.
The traditional emergency fleet manufacturers still had a presence
The Volvo Special Vehicle Team also had a presence at the show and even took home the award for Best Manufacturer. Toyota was also present at the exhibition, complete with a Corolla Active resplendent in Police fleet livery. They have developed this blue light edition Coralla by working closely with the Derbyshire police force.
Nothing tyresome about this stand
We also enjoyed meeting Leigh Clarke of Goodyear Tyres UK. He had with him a custom-liveried BMW, quite an eye-catching beast to say the least. Goodyear supplies tyres to the UK police fleet, a high-performance environment where only the best will do. Goodyear didn’t go away empty-handed either, taking with them the prestigious “Best Equipment Supplier” award.
GSF played their part in the Emergency Fleet Exhibition
One stand we really enjoyed visiting was that of GSF, where we had a great chat with their National Key Accounts Manager, Chris Waters. Part of the Parts Alliance, GSF is one of the UK’s leading replacement car parts and accessories distributors. They rebranded as GSF late last year. It’s quite an interesting operation at the heart of the UK motor industry, with over 180 branches across the UK and Ireland supplying parts and garage equipment to a plethora of garages.
Lighting up the room with Code 3
Code 3 had an interesting stand showcasing their range of lightbar equipment—a vital component for all emergency fleets, be they police, ambulance, or fire departments. As to be expected, their products could be found not just on their own stand, but on various emergency fleet vehicles around the exhibition hall.
OPSES
We had a great conversation with Tom Haye, Director of OPSES. OPSES uses an OEM touchscreen to help improve safety and reduces costs for emergency fleet vehicles. The OEM touch screen gives the operator total control of vehicle emergency equipment.
Lots of lovely liveries across the fleets
Another emergency fleet supplier present at NAPFM was PVL Ltd. PVL Ltd. provides hi-visibility and corporate branding liveries to fleets across the UK, including the emergency services. Apart from their own stand, their eye-catching liveries were much in evidence across the various emergency vehicles on display throughout the exhibition.
Even time travel emergencies were catered for…
Great Scott! One of our favourite stands was that of BTTF Delorean Time Machine Hire UK and their Delorean. It’s been described as the most accurate replica of Marty McFly’s famous time machine in the UK. It made a rather incongruous sight next to the police vehicles, but it was good to know we were covered against even time travel emergencies. We just couldn’t find a stand supplying flux capacitors…
All in all, we really enjoyed our visit to the Emergency Fleet Exhibition 2022. It gave us a great insight into the plethora of companies servicing the needs of the UK’s emergency fleet and made some great contacts from across the industry. We’re already looking forward to the 2023 exhibition. Hmmm, maybe the Delorean could come in handy… 😉
