Fire Fighters have moved into their brand new state-of-the-art fire station at Purley which is located on the existing site on the Brighton road in London.
The construction project was part of the Brigade’s on-going Private Finance Initiative (PFI) programme that will eventually see nine of London’s fire stations coming to the end of their life-span replaced by brand new buildings. Building work on the new Purley station began in March 2015 and was carried out by the Brigade’s PFI delivery partner Blue3.
Purley’s firefighters and appliances operated out of Mitcham Fire Station during the construction phase of the project.
The new fire station includes two larger appliance bays which are better able to accommodate the Brigade’s latest vehicles, a four storey drill tower for training, offices and meeting rooms, a gym, lecture and quiet study rooms and a kitchen and dining area for fire fighters. There are also separate shower, changing rooms and resting areas that can be modified to accommodate the different male to female ratio on each watch.
The rebuilt station includes areas the public can visit to access important fire safety information, as well as a community room which will be available for bookings.
Purley’s Borough Commander, Sally Cartwright, said “This brand new fire station has improved facilities for our firefighters and includes an excellent resource for the local community to access. The previous station had served the community well for many years but was coming to the end of its working life and no longer met the demands of a modern fire and rescue service. This fantastic new station provides us with facilities fit for the 21st century and reinforces our commitment to providing the best possible fire service to the people of Purley and Croydon and to London as a whole.”
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.
