The re-building of Crowthorne Community Fire Station is now complete and firefighters will be serving the local community from the new station.
The facility becomes Royal Berkshire’s second tri-service community fire station and will offer a shared location for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS), Thames Valley Police (TVP) and South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS).
Councillor Colin Dudley, Chairman of Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, said: “I am delighted to bring this piece of good news at a very difficult time for our communities.
“I would like to share my sincere thanks to Wellington College for providing a temporary location for the local firefighters to respond from while works were completed, which enabled them to continue their vital work.”
Despite many challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak, the main contractor, Knights Brown Construction Ltd, together with their sub-contractors and local providers, worked tirelessly within Government construction industry guidelines to safely complete the project.
Councillor Angus Ross, Lead Member for Strategic Assets on Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, said: “Our thanks go to all involved for working tirelessly, under very difficult circumstances to complete this essential operational base for the three blue light services – Fire, Police and Ambulance.
“The rebuild of Crowthorne Community Fire Station is part of Royal Berkshire Fire Authority’s plans to modernise the fire and rescue service’s buildings over the next 15 years, providing suitable, fit for purpose, community-based fire stations across the County of Berkshire.”
The rebuild follows in the successful footsteps of Hungerford Community Fire Station which opened in July 2017.
Tony Jell, Watch Manager at Crowthorne Fire Station, said: “We are pleased to have moved into the new station over the weekend. We are looking forward to welcoming the community into the new building once the current restrictions are lifted. We are very thankful to Wellington College for providing us with a temporary location during the works and now, we are very happy to be back responding from the High Street in the heart of the village.”
With the rebuild now completed, Crowthorne’s on-call firefighters will benefit from a number of improved facilities for training and welfare, as well as an improved fire station layout. Various energy efficient features have also been installed, such as roof mounted solar panels and plans for electric vehicle charging points, which will reduce the environmental footprint in the community.
Although the new Community Fire Station is not able to open for the community to see yet, the Fire Authority hope that local residents will be pleased that it has been completed on time and that firefighters have access to this improved facility to continue to serve the people of Royal Berkshire.
