| London's first new additional fire station was officially opened by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson |
The new station has state-of-the-art all weather training facilities.
London's first new additional fire station for over a decade was officially opened by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Thursday 11 February.
Harold Hill fire station on Ashton Road in Romford will improve attendance times of firefighters responding to emergencies in the north east area of Havering.
The new station has state-of-the-art all weather training facilities, meaning that staff training is never affected by bad weather because it can be completed indoors. The station also demonstrates how the London Fire Brigade is modernising having been fitted with recliner chairs for firefighters to rest in during the night shift instead of beds. This follows an Authority decision taken in 2006 to commence a programme of providing resting facilities, rather than bedrooms in all fire stations, to improve how the Brigade operates through the night shift and equality at work for firefighters.
The Mayor of London was accompanied on a tour of the station by Councillor Brian Coleman AM FRSA, Chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and London Fire Commissioner, Ron Dobson.
Cllr Brian Coleman said: "I am delighted that this Authority has opened a new fire station, which will improve our attendance to incidents not only in Havering, but across the capital. As a public service we have a duty to maximise the work carried out by firefighters to protect the community and to throw out old fashioned ideas about firefighters sleeping in beds in individual bedrooms whilst on duty. The facilities at this new station pave the way for a better fire service for Londoners."
"The facilities at this new station pave the way for a better fire service for Londoners" |
Mayor of London said: "To be opening the first fire station built in London in a decade is remarkable enough, but throw in the fact that it is the greenest station in the capital and it is truly astonishing. Slashing energy consumption in our public buildings is a sure-fire way to not only reduce the capital's carbon emissions but also cut fuel bills helping us to save hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.
Harold Hill is a superb example of how you can combine both value for money and green ambitions. Not only was it cheaper to build than a traditional station but it will continue to save the London Fire Brigade money for years to come and cause less pollution - a real triumph for everyone in London."
Harold Hill is also one of the greenest in London and has already won a prestigious award for environmental sustainability at the Havering Business Awards. The station is fitted with grey water technology, which recycles rain water, and photo-voltaic panels, which will convert solar energy into electricity. It also has energy saving boilers, motion sensor lighting and thermostatic radiator valves, which control the temperature of each radiator.
The design, construction and long term use of the new station have been based on sustainability principles for the maximum reuse of the existing structure with minimum possible alterations, the reduction of energy consumption, the production of renewable energy and the recycling through construction, operations and ultimately the building itself at the end of its lifecycle.