Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) held a groundbreaking event ahead of the redevelopment of the Service’s Training Centre in Whitley Wood.
Joined by Members of the Fire Authority, Reading Borough Councillors and Yuan Yang, the Member of Parliament for the new constituency of Woodley and Earley, the ceremony marked the beginning of works on the new Training Centre.
At the groundbreaking, which took place on Friday, 26 July, guests were given an overview of the project to build a new, two-storey, modular building that will train future generations of firefighters in Berkshire.
Councillor Jeff Brooks, Chair of Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, said: “The decision to invest into our Training Centre reaffirms the commitment of the Fire Authority to deliver the highest standards of training to our firefighters, which will help keep our staff and communities safe.”
The groundbreaking also gave guests the opportunity to meet the project team and contractors who will deliver the new Training Centre, as well as some of the staff who will benefit from the new facility.
“The decision to invest into our Training Centre reaffirms the commitment of the Fire Authority to deliver the highest standards of training to our firefighters, which will help keep our staff and communities safe.”
Councillor Jeff Brooks, Chair of Royal Berkshire Fire Authority
Chris Kendall, Group Manager at RBFRS and head of the Service’s Training Centre, said: “Ensuring our firefighters are equipped and prepared to deal with the changing risks faced by our communities is vitally important to delivering a high level of Service. Critical to this is how we train and develop our firefighters.
“The new Training Centre will give our firefighters a facility befitting of a modern fire and rescue service, allowing us to provide higher quality training to our operational staff in-county.”
Demolition of the existing Training Centre is due to begin imminently, with the completion and opening of the new building expected in summer 2025.