New Investment Will Help Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Improve Training Facilities

Published on: 17 Apr, 2024
Updated on: 19 Apr, 2024

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has announced that Surrey County Council’s Cabinet has approved a significant investment in its training facilities at Wray Park in Reigate.

The investment is said to mark a pivotal moment for the service, representing the largest single investment in training for frontline operational staff in its history.

The upgrade will include improvements to the “Firehouse” and other training facilities, ensuring that Surrey’s firefighters have access to state-of-the-art resources to fulfill statutory training requirements safely and efficiently. The investment will also facilitate training in critical areas such as working at height, live fire behavior, use of breathing apparatus, and operations in confined spaces.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Sally Wilson said: “This investment marks an important milestone for our service’s future. The current facilities require regular repairs and maintenance, and no longer meet the needs of a modern firefighting service; it has become inefficient to operate and maintain.

“The upgrades will allow us to drive forth our standards, with an aim to lead the way in fire and rescue service training.”

Chief Fire Officer Dan Quin

Chief Fire Officer, Dan Quin expressed his appreciation to the teams involved in securing the investment and added: “This will help us elevate our training standards and will open doors to opportunities through the delivery of both domestic and international training sessions. Our aim is to lead the way in fire and rescue service training, becoming a hub for excellence in the sector.”

The investment at Wray Park is part of a broader initiative to modernise Surrey’s fire stations, with redevelopment projects planned for Lingfield, Chobham, and Reigate. The developments not only aim to enhance workplace environments for firefighting teams but also contribute to the safety and well-being of the communities they serve.

SFRS are working closely with Land and Property colleagues to ensure that infrastructure development helps reduce the service’s carbon footprint.

A public consultation event will take place in May for local residents and stakeholders to find out more about the proposals.