For the past 15 years, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has been contributing its old fire hoses to Colchester Zoo for recycling into toys, hammocks, and feeding tools for the animals.
Animals ranging from monkeys to elephants, rhinos, and otters at Colchester Zoo have found enjoyment in playing with these hoses in various forms. Almost every enclosure within the zoo features some form of repurposed fire hose. Over the years, the zoo’s team has crafted a diverse range of toys, hammocks, and swings from these hoses.
Last week, two fire cadets from Dovercourt Fire Station had the opportunity to learn about the creative reuse of old fire hoses at the zoo. The pair actively participated in making enrichment toys for Gelada Baboons using a 25-meter hose reel.
These newly crafted toys were then hung in the baboon enclosure, and the Gelada Baboons were seen joyfully engaging with their new toys.
Fire Cadet Jorje shared, “The animals really enjoyed the toys, and it was great to see them all excited. You can use our old hoses to make toys for any animal here, really. You can make literally anything like benches, hammocks, walls, etc.”
Fire Cadet Zak added, “It’s been really fun and something I’ve never really done before. We’ll take our learning back to our cadet unit, and hopefully, we can all make some more toys from old fire hoses to donate to the zoo.”
Kelly Hand, Visitor Experience Host Co-Ordinator, expressed, “Over the years, we’ve developed a great relationship with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service; they’ve donated many reels of fire hose which as a zoo we’ve been able to give a second life to. Not only is this a great form of recycling but also the secondary use is we can give our animals different forms of enrichment made from the fire hose. It’s a great durable material which even our elephants find hard to break.”
Typically, fire hoses are discarded in landfills after reaching the end of their working lives. However, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service donates most of its old fire hoses to Colchester Zoo to support a local business and reduce its carbon footprint.
David Rogers, Supplies Officer at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, has been delivering fire hoses to the zoo for approximately 15 years. He noted, “It’s great to see the fire hoses repurposed for a good cause, and I’ve always been surprised at how many different ways the zoo uses them. It would be a real shame to see fire hoses going to landfill after serving such a good purpose saving lives and putting out fires in Essex.”
Fire Cadets Jorje and Zak have been part of the program for the last three years. The Service’s cadet program is a nationally recognized three-year program run across six fire stations in Essex, where young cadets aged 13-18 years old learn how the Fire Service contributes to making Essex safer through various activities and training.
The Service operates 18 Fire Cadet Units in Clacton, Dovercourt, Great Baddow, Harlow, Orsett, and Southend, offering Fire Cadets the opportunity to engage in operational fire service activities aligned with the National Fire Cadet Award.
Source: Essex County Fire & Rescue
