Plaistow’s brand new fire station opened today, Thursday, 4 June.
Firefighters began operating from the new station built on the existing site, this morning. The crews and their engines had been operating from Stratford, East Ham and Woodford fire stations while the rebuild took place.
Built by Blue3 (a Kier led consortium), the new state-of-the-art building provides crews with brand new facilities fit for the 21st century. Construction work on the new fire station began in October 2013 and was completed last month.
The construction project is part of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project which will see nine London fire stations coming to the end of their life, replaced by brand new buildings.
Station Manager Joseph Kenny said: "This brand new fire station is good news for the local community. The previous Plaistow station no longer met the demands of a modern fire and rescue service.
"The new station will provide us with facilities fit for the 21st century and reinforces our commitment to providing the best possible service to Londoners."
Plaistow Fire station is the only PFI station to include a dedicated training suite, which includes a breathing apparatus chamber that allows crews to train in a building that simulates heat and smoke. The new station has a larger appliance bay, a four storey training tower, a drill yard and an area for road traffic collision training.
It also houses a station office, lecture and quiet study rooms and a kitchen and dining area for firefighters. There are separate shower, changing and resting areas that can be modified to accommodate the different male to female ratio on each watch.
There are also areas within the station that the public can visit to access important fire safety information, as well as a community room available for bookings. The building also features a training centre with additional facilities for those on courses.
The design of the new fire station meets the highest environmental standards , as well as providing a high level of natural light, the building draws energy for power and heating from renewable sources including a combined heat and power unit and solar panels. The building also reduces energy and water demands, cutting running costs and contributing to the Brigade’s overall environmental performance.
Notes to Editors
The Brigade was awarded £51.5m from the Department of Communities and Local Government in PFI credits to rebuild nine new stations. These stations are Dockhead, Dagenham, Leytonstone, Mitcham, Purley, Old Kent Road, Shadwell, Plaistow and Orpington. All will become operational either in 2015 or 2016. The Brigade’s delivery partner for this project is Blue3, a Kier led consortium.