A multi-million-pound "world class" fire station in North Liverpool will make Merseyside "safer, more effective and more resilient."
Members of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority (MFRA) have signed off on the purchase of land at Long Lane, Aintree, to build a new multi pump super station combining existing sites in Croxteth and Aintree. A budget of almost £40m has been set aside by the authority for the entirety of the project.
Liverpool Council handed the fire authority planning permission for the new fire station to be built on land formerly occupied by Commercial Hydraulics on Long Lane earlier in May. Chief fire officer Phil Garrigan told members that the new station would allow Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) to have more fire engines available and be more resilient against large scale operational incidents.
READ MORE: Updates as police cordon off cafe on busy high street
He added: “It will develop a new super station and the facilities will be exceptional for the operational crews there.” The two-storey building will be constructed consisting of four appliance bays, incorporating operational and welfare accommodation, offices and training facilities, external drill and training spaces, as well as a four storey training tower.
A training and development academy (TDA) including classrooms, offices, dining space, indoor training facilities and a community meeting room would also be built alongside a mock motorway and railway for training drills. Overall response times across North Liverpool are expected to improve on average by 34 seconds.
Chief Officer Garrigan said the new station would be more accessible and decrease carbon emissions by 46%. He said the Long Lane plot would allow officers to train against realistic situations which they cannot currently do at the existing stations.
He added: “It will create jobs across Merseyside and will significantly enhance fire fighter safety. In a nutshell, we will be safer, more effective, more resilient, have more fire engines available across Merseyside and we will be quicker to those areas identified.”
The chief officer acknowledged the investment was a “significant amount of money” but would bring “hugely significant benefits”. The report to fire authority members detailed that Wates is to be appointed contractor for the scheme with £40m being made available for the land purchase and construction of the new site.
Around £11.6m of the budget will be made up through borrowing. The currently vacant site’s primary function is to be a centre of excellence for the training of firefighters, with more than 60 firefighters based in Fazakerley all working to a 24-hour shift pattern with 15 on duty during each shift.
Around 50 administrative/training staff would also work on site during normal office hours. An additional 20 firefighter posts would be created at the new station as well as one new support staff role, two part time Prince’s Trust course leaders, one commercial member of staff, one full-time Facilities Management team member and one additional assurance team member for National Resilience.
Cllr Les Byram, chair of the fire authority, said: “The whole fire community will benefit from this world class facility. It’s about resilience, keeping our communities safe, our firefighters safe, and the economy in Merseyside will benefit from this.”
As part of the new scheme, the fire service will seek to dispose of its sites at Aintree, Croxteth and Ritchie Avenue.
