News

On 25th November, the BBPI-led project company Fire Support handed over the last of ten community fire stations, Tamworth Mercia, to the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. This £46 million project comprised of seven fire stations rebuilt and the construction of three stations in the Staffordshire area.

Area Commander for Tamworth, Del Roberts said: “We’re really pleased with the new station; it couldn’t be more different to the former station. The building has a welcoming feel and because firefighters have had an input into the design the layout is much more workable. The facilities for both the firefighters and the community really are second to none.”

Financial close was reached in October 2009 and immediately after, construction started on the first station, Rising Brook. Since then a series of phased handovers has taken place with key milestones being celebrated at all of the stations.  Sod cuttings, brick layings and the start of demolition work have been promoted through the local media, in order to keep people informed.  Time capsules have been buried under each station with contributions from local school children, residents and businesses. Fire-fighters have also contributed with copies of wage slips, incident registers and staff listings.

All the stations have been designed with community facilities and a partnership room, and whole time stations have fitness facilities that can be used by both fire-fighters and supervised groups. These modern buildings have also been designed to the highest environmental standards; for example recycled rainwater is used to feed the sprinkler units, which are fitted as standard in all of the stations.

Ian Bolden, from BBPI and General Manager for Fire Support said, “Tamworth Mercia is the last of ten community fire stations built under a PFI model in Staffordshire, and it is a shining example of public and private sectors working together effectively. Like all the nine others, the new Tamworth fire station has been designed to encourage community engagement as well as improving service delivery and efficiency. Fire Support is proud to be a part of this successful project.”