State-of-the-art emergency services hub opens in Stowmarket
A new police and fire station off Needham Road, Stowmarket, has now opened
State-of-the-art emergency services hub opens in Stowmarket.
A new police and fire station off Needham Road, Stowmarket, has now opened
The updated services will allow emergency services to be more efficient, effective, and environmentally responsible.
Dave Pedersen Area Manager, from Suffolk Fire Rescue service, told us what where the funding came from for this new emergency hub
"We received funding from central government for this station of 1.24 million, but we also received funding for mid Suffolk District Council, which is through the Community infrastructure levy.
"So we're really grateful to them. They contributed over £400,000 towards the project which made it viable for us to start showing this new facility.
Why is this new hub important?
We asked what prompted the decision of the new emergency hub.
Dave told us their priority is to maintain a presence in the Community. "A lot of our stations, both police and fire stations, weren't fit for purpose and going forwards are very old, especially the two in Stowmarket.
"So it made absolute sense to look at the opportunity to share facility, which obviously drove down costs. We're not paying for separate buildings in the same towns and villages.
"As well as that, it allows us to work more closely with emergency services partners. So when we actually do turn up to an operational instant or when we look to support the Community, we already have a really good working relationship.
"It is really important. It's because we want to maintain that presence in the Community and public sector funds are very tight and we want to make sure that we get the biggest bang for our buck when we're investing in our community.
"So for the taxpayers, it's a really worthwhile investment, especially for Suffolk taxpayers, because such a large contribution came from central government to support this project.
The official opening of the fire station
The official opening of the fire station
How will this hub help all the emergency services?
Dave told us this new Hub, will help work between emergency services.
"Our coordination has always been good. We train regularly with our emergency services partners and but this brings out a closer working relationship right to the coal face of our delivery.
"So it's the people who actually deliver our service. So whilst we work very closely with emergency services partners and the planning stage at training and assessment stages, this actually allows our operational staff to know each other and understand what each other can bring to resolving operational incidents."