It’s the start of a new era for Spalding firefighters as the town’s newly-modernised station is officially opened.
The station in West Elloe Avenue will now be manned on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week basis by two crews of whole-time firefighters.
They will work alongside the current retained staff who have provided firefighter cover for the area in the past.
The revised staffing arrangements are part of the new Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service “whole-time spine” of fire stations across the county, aimed at delivering even better response times in emergencies.
The changes at the fire station have involved the building of new accommodation, built by local firm Langwith Builders.
The new building includes several state-of-the-art environmental features such as solar panels, efficient heating system and sprinklers throughout.
Dave Ramscar, chief fire officer for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “We’ve made £1.2million recurring savings in our budget since 2010.
“This coupled with a £3.5million planned capital investments to redevelop existing fire stations, has meant we have been able to develop a full-time station at Spalding, with new facilities and a planned new training area.
“We have recently seen 20 first class new recruits complete training and I’m sure the ones which have gone to Spalding will be a real asset.”
Exceutive councillor for community safety at Lincolnshire County Council Coun Peter Robinson said: “The opening of the station at Spalding provides excellent facilities for the firefighters and will mean that emergency help for the community around Spalding arrives even more quickly than before.”