Dr Caroline Johnson MP has officially opened our new joint Fire and Ambulance Station in Sleaford.
The new £6m facility will host around 38 EMAS ambulance clinicians and 24 fire staff, and will also be home to the county’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team.
The Sleaford development is the second site in Lincolnshire where two operational crews from different services are located under one roof, following the opening of Louth’s joint station last year.
Richard Hunter, Lincolnshire division Ambulance Operations Manager at EMAS, said that he was excited to see the new building officially unveiled.
“Our ambulance crews respond to around 500 emergency calls a day from people in Lincolnshire. We treat patients in their home, at the scene of an incident and on the way to hospital if further care is needed. This means most of our time is spent away from the station.
“Sharing facilities with the fire service is a sensible move that will allow us to invest more in our patient services, and to give colleagues improved facilities for use when they start and end their shift. The added bonus is being able to train and work more closely with our fire colleagues.”
The drive for co-location is part of the county’s Blue Light Collaboration programme set up between Lincolnshire County Council, Lincolnshire Police, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and EMAS.
Cllr Nick Worth, executive councillor for emergency services at the county council, said: “All of the old facilities were dated and would have required considerable investment to be modernised. The new facilities are excellent, and purpose-built for the needs of the crews.
“There are so many benefits to co-locating services in this way - saving money and building a better understanding of different ways of working. Wholetime and on-call firefighters can train and respond together with ambulance crews, in their community and beyond.”
Our Chief Executive Richard Henderson said: “By working in partnership we can invest wisely and further develop initiatives which benefit the local communities.
“The benefits of partnership working can ultimately help save lives”
