Crews all fired up over new £1.7m station
It's the start of a new era for fire crews who have been showing off their £1.7million base in Burntwood.
The modern Chase Terrace Fire Station replaces the old base on Rugeley Road, which bosses said was outdated.
Firefighters are now getting ready to welcome community groups to share some of their facilities.
Firefighter courses will also be run by the station which has been built with the latest computer system to ensure crews can attend 999 calls as quickly as possible.
The station also offers up to date training facilities, which including a smoke house and a dedicated bay to help crews practice how they deal with road accidents.
Station manager at Chase Terrace Tim Hollingworth described the new station as 'a real asset' to the community and said he was looking forward to welcoming local organisations.
He said: "We are now taking bookings for groups and partner organisations who would like to use our community room which can accommodate up to 20 people.
"The station is in the heart of Chase Terrace and we hope that it will be a real hub for the local people.
"It is a very interactive environment and has been very well received since it became operational in September," he added.
The former station dated back to 1969.
To book the community room people can call 01785 898629.
It comes as crews move into Rugeley's new £3 million community fire station.
The station has replaced the old base on Bryans Lane which was built in 1974.
They are two of 10 being being rebuilt across the county by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service as part of the £45million second phase of a redevelopment project.
It has been estimated that more than 200 groups such as charities and public sector organisations will use community space in the new fire stations when they are completed.
