A £1 MILLION revamp of Barton under Needwood Fire Station has brought it ‘into the 21st century’, fire chiefs have said.
Substantial work on the site began last year, with firefighters now getting accustomed to their new surroundings having been allowed to move back into the site.
The crew members have been stationed in the less luxurious setting of a portable building close to the station for much of the past year.
Barton watch manager Graham Nash said the station had been in dire need of the upgrade – funded by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue – for some time.
He said: “It is a major refurbishment and will enhance our service response. It’s just better all round. It’s been updated and modernised and has given us facilities for the 21st century and for many years to come. The building opened in the 1960s and had poor insulation and was expensive to run.”
Improvements made to the station, in Short Lane, included the rebuild of the garage, newly installed changing rooms, adding female facilities which the station had previously lacked, as well as a training room which could be used by the police in the future.
In addition, the building now contains a community building, which charitable and community groups locally can apply to use.
Energy-saving LED lights have also been fitted and security heightened with the installation of CCTV cameras.
Mr Nash admitted working from a portable building for much of the last year hadn’t been ideal, but the team are now reaping the benefits of their new base.
He added: “It has been quite disruptive but we’ve managed to stick to call-out times. Everyone has a can-do attitude.”
Vic Trigwell, former chairman of Barton Parish Council, was impressed with the new-look station following a tour.
He said: “What for the last 45 years has been little more than an overgrown garage has now become a very substantial community building with magnificent new facilities.”
