A new training and development centre for Warwickshire firefighters was formally opened on Friday 25 March.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place to mark the occasion and was attended by Warwickshire County Council members and Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service personnel including Chief Fire Officer, Ben Brook. The centre was formally opened by Cllr Andy Crump.
The centre at Kingsbury Water Park is equipped to provide theoretical and practical training opportunities to firefighters as the site includes space for lectures, a virtual reality incident command training centre for incidents that are difficult to replicate in real life, facilities to test breathing apparatus work and towers to practice ladder, hose and rescue training. The site also features a tarmac area in the style of a two-lane road to practice attending road traffic collisions and extracting casualties.
Chief Fire Officer for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, Ben Brook, said: “This is a truly modern training centre that supports Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service in being the best it can be. We will take the skills learned and developed here and apply them in keeping Warwickshire residents safe and supporting them during emergencies.”
The modern training site also features a two-storey cold smoke house which replicates a typical detached house. This house can be filled with synthetic smoke in order to replicate various scenarios that involve entering smoke filled buildings with poor visibility, finding and rescuing people.
The new Training and Development Centre will bolster the safety of firefighters in Warwickshire by giving them up to date and appropriate training on their doorstep. It is hoped that the site will become a community asset with wider benefits in time, especially for young people.
Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Fire and Rescue and Community Safety, Councillor Andy Crump, said: “It’s brilliant to see this facility open and to consider the excellent training options it will provide to Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service to give firefighters the skills they need to work at the highest level.”
For more information on Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fireandrescue.