New station shared with fire service
A brand new, purpose built co-location station in the heart of the Darlington has now been officially opened.
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) and North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) are co-located at the station, which is situated on St. Cuthbert’s Way in the town.
Councillor John Shuttleworth, Chair of the County Durham and Darlington Combined Fire Authority, officially opened the new station , in front of invited guests, which included The Mayor of Darlington, Anne-Marie Curry, CDDFRS Chief Fire Officer Stuart Errington and NEAS Chief Operating Officer Stephen Segasby.
During the event guests were invited to tour the state-of-the-art facilities, which includes much-improved training facilities, accommodation and welfare facilities, ensuring a effective and efficient response from both the fire and ambulance services in the heart of Darlington town centre.
The decision to replace the existing station, was taken in early 2018 and in August 2018, a Darlington based architect, Corstorphine + Wright, Niven Architects were appointed.
John Hancock, CDDFRS Estates Manager commented: “The existing station which was built in 1972 and refurbished in 2009 but needed more permanent, extensive repairs which were ultimately very expensive and problematic. The building was not fit for purpose, so a decision was made in 2018 by our Combined Fire Authority to fund a demolition and a complete rebuild of the station.”
Following extensive work with The Environment Agency to mitigate flood risk on the land, a start date for demolition of the existing station was agreed for 27 January 2020.
During the construction work, fire crews were relocated to former workshops and temporary accommodation on the site and NEAS relocated to Darlington Memorial Hospital. The station was fully operational in early 2021, with staff from both services moving in on Monday 22 February 2021.
Chief Operating Officer at North East Ambulance Service, Stephen Segasby said: “It’s wonderful to see our teams working together in this state of the art building. This is an important facility for the local community and a great place for blue light services to collaborate and develop together.”
Councillor John Shuttleworth, Chair of County Durham and Darlington’s Combined Fire Authority said: “This event marks the official opening of the station which has been fully operational for over a year. Our vision for this new community fire was one of flexibility and collaboration, so the service and its partner organisations can provide first-class facilities and services to support local people”.
CDDFRS Chief Fire Officer, Stuart Errington, commented: “I must thank all our crews who have managed to maintain an excellent Service despite being in temporary accommodation during the build, which lasted almost a year they really have proven that they are a credit to our Service.
“This new station, really is a jewel in our crown and has been a major investment for the Service resulting in state-of-the-art facilities which ultimately benefit the local community.”