Chester Fire Station rebuild complete as firefighters and staff move back in

Firefighters and staff last week moved into a state-of-the art fire station that will serve the city of Chester and its residents for years to come.

Work began on the new building around 15 months ago, to replace the former ageing station on St Anne Street. Despite the prospect of building a new fire station during the Covid-19 pandemic, contractor ISG rose the challenge and have now handed over the keys to the new station.

It boasts modern training facilities such as a new training tower, breathing apparatus building and road traffic collision training area, and is generally a better working environment for all staff based there.

It’s also more cost-effective to run and maintain, has improved accessibility, and houses improved community facilities, meaning that Chester’s new fire station will be serving the community in more ways than one.

And a real feather in the cap for Cheshire is that the new station is a ‘zero carbon’ building – making it one of the first fire stations in the country to use as much or even less energy than it produces through renewable energy sources.

Chief Fire Officer Mark Cashin said: “The wellbeing of our firefighters and staff is of paramount importance to me, so I couldn’t be happier that our Chester teams now have such a fine working environment from which to operate.

“For much of the past 15 months, the crews have been based in a temporary station and they have continued to carry out their duties with great professionalism and dedication, and I want to place on record my thanks to them.

“A particularly pleasing aspect for me is that the building is carbon neutral, which I think sends a real message about our commitment to being an organisation that not only cares about its people and its communities, but also about the environment around us.

“I look forward to a bright future for firefighting in Chester and I can’t wait to see how the teams are settling into their new home.”

Chair of the Cheshire Fire Authority, Cllr Bob Rudd, added: “I’m delighted to see that the new station in Chester is now operational. It’s yet another example of how this Authority is investing in firefighting and helping to keep our communities safe from harm.

“I’ve said for many years that our firefighters in Chester deserve to have the best working environment we can give them and it’s pleasing that they, along with future generations of firefighters, will be able to enjoy these modern facilities for years to come.”