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Sixteen new fire stations for Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside

A £66.4million investment to build 16 new fire stations in the North West was confirmed by Communities and Local Government today.

21st Century fire stations will replace ageing, inappropriate or poorly located buildings and facilities in Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside under the North West Fire and Rescue Service PFI project.

To continue to drive down fires and fire deaths the state-of-the-art buildings will provide modern facilities for hosting public fire safety events.

Firefighters will enjoy better working conditions thanks to the up-to-date amenities designed for both men and women.

The project will deliver:

• Cumbria: 5 new stations - Carlisle East, Carlisle West (two stations), Penrith (incorporating County Council Emergency Planning Unit and Emergency Control Room) and Workington;
• Lancashire: 4 new stations - Blackburn, Burnley, Chorley and Fleetwood;
• Merseyside: 7 new stations - Belle Vale, Birkenhead, Bootle/Netherton, Formby, Kirkdale (incorporating an Operational Resource Centre), Newton le Willows, Southport (including an ambulance station).

Fire Minister Parmjit Dhanda said:

"It's important that we have modern fire stations based at the heart of our communities, ones that welcome the public as well as keeping them safe.

"That's why I'm delighted to confirm this multi-million pound funding to build 16 state-of-the-art fire stations in Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside.

"We need 21st Century fire stations with up-to-date facilities that  provide better working conditions for male and female firefighters so they can fully represent the communities they serve."

Notes to editor

1. The community fire stations are to be constructed on a mixture of new and existing sites, in some cases involving demolition and phased working around operational units.

2. As well as delivering improved facilities these new stations will boost vital initiatives for spreading fire safety messages in preventing fires, fire-related deaths and injuries. Such as the Communities and Local Government Fire Kills campaign which has three core community fire safety themes: prevention, detection and escape; the key and primary message is smoke alarm ownership and maintenance. For more information: http://campaigns.direct.gov.uk/firekills/ (external link)

3. The new stations are specifically designed for men and women firefighters and will play a key role in helping FRS meet their Equality and Diversity targets. The national Equality and Diversity Strategy, launched last month, set FRS a target to ensure that at least 15 per cent of new firefighting recruits are women. A total of £2m of Government funding will be available to those that choose a more challenging 18 per cent target for women.

4. To read the strategy: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/equalitydiversitystrategy.

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