Work has begun on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s new multi-pump Fire & Rescue Station, state of the art Training Academy, and National Resilience Centre of Excellence in the heart of the community, where RLB is responsible for cost management and is the Employer’s Agent.
Working with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) and Wates, the development will improve operational response times and enable MFRS to plan effectively and efficiently against foreseeable risk and emerging threats, providing outstanding facilities for a diverse range of operational and support staff to develop and maintain their skills.
Housing staff from the National Resilience Assurance Team (NRAT), International Search and Rescue team (ISAR) and secondary Fire Control, the facility will embed National Resilience into the DNA of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service.
The new site will include state of the art training facilities, office spaces, classrooms, a community meeting room and internal training areas.
The immersive, realistic training zones can be adapted to train for any foreseeable risk including high-rise, marine, flooding, motorway and train incidents.
The site will also include a 4-bay fire station offering 24-hour emergency response to the surrounding area and a National Resilience Centre of Excellence at the heart of the facility.
Stuart Wands, RLB Partner comments:
“We have been working the Merseyside Fire and Rescue across a number of their sites over the last decade and therefore have been waiting with anticipation for this project to begin. What will be one of the most advanced and innovative spaces for training those in the fire and rescue services, we are delighted to be part of its creation.”
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan said:
“This exciting and forward-thinking project represents a once in a lifetime opportunity for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority, and once completed, it will ensure we have highly skilled and trained people who plan for identified risks, while keeping our teams safe and effective.
A critically important area of work for the emergency services is the constantly changing urban landscape that presents emerging risks, which we must train for.
This new facility will give the firefighters of Merseyside an opportunity to train in realistic and immersive environments to ensure they are ready for any challenge.”
Dave Saville, Regional Managing Director for Construction North at Wates, said:
“Through our work, we’ve seen how much of a positive impact these new builds have on the people that work in them and the communities they serve. As well as providing state-of-the art training facilities, for firefighters present and future, our teams are working with Social Enterprises and providing educational and training opportunities in construction for local people.”
This milestone celebrates the excellent partnership between Wates, MFRS, RLB and our supply chain partners and we’re all looking forward to delivering the next stage of this key build.”
Group Manager, Dave Watson, MFRS Project Lead said:
“This new Training and Development Academy project is the largest infrastructure project Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority have ever undertaken. We are delighted and incredibly proud that construction work has commenced on the new site.”
The build, situated in the heart of the community on a 12-acre site on Long Lane, Aintree, will be completed by mid-2024 by Wates Construction, who were awarded the contract having produced first-class fire stations at Prescot and most recently St. Helens.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Stuart Wands
Partner – Quantity Surveyor
