Local fire stations to undergo refurbishment for the future

Photo: Google, DigitalGlobe

Littleborough Fire Station on Whitelees Road

Local fire stations are set to undergo huge refurbishments to ensure they are fit for the future for firefighters and the public.

A new community fire station will be built in Heywood whilst the Littleborough Community Fire Station will be refurbished and extended.

Rochdale’s fire station will benefit from investment in carbon reduction technology as part of the multi-million-pound investment across Greater Manchester.

The investments come as part of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s four-year fire plan, a long-term programme of improvements launched earlier this year to update operational facilities for staff and the public and reduce GMFRS’s carbon footprint.

The programme is expected to take place in four phases, each taking four years, and comes after £38m was awarded by Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for the first phase of the programme, which started in September 2021 at GMFRS’s Training and Safety Centre in Bury.

Chief fire officer at GMFRS, Dave Russel, said: “The £38 million investment approved by the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester represents a major boost in support for our service in delivering our fire plan. It will enable us to focus on our strategic priorities which include investing in our facilities and ensuring they are fit for purpose for years to come.

“I’m really proud that over the coming four years we will see significant improvements across our sites, including the development of a new incident command and leadership academy at our training and safety centre in Bury, and new community fire stations being built in Blackley, Whitehill, Heywood and Whitefield.

“In addition, several of our other stations will receive refurbishments and upgrades to improve facilities. All of the planned work will have a heavy focus on reducing the carbon footprint of our estate to support Greater Manchester’s target of becoming carbon neutral by 2038.”

Corporate support director at GMFRS, Andrea Heffernan, who is leading the estates improvements programme, added: “We are investing in the future of our staff, Greater Manchester and its residents, while striving to become a modern, environmentally friendly, flexible and resilient fire and rescue service.

“Other improvement work in the pipeline includes a refurbishment and extension of Littleborough Community Fire Station and investment in carbon reduction technology at a number of our community fire stations, including Horwich, Stretford, Rochdale, Wigan, Bury and Ashton.”

Elements of planned carbon reduction work at some of GMFRS sites, such as the installation of LED lighting, solar PV (photovoltaic) and battery storage, will be covered thanks to funding secured from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.