New fire station and training centre opens
Teaching areas at the centre include a cold smoke tower and a traffic collision training area
- Published
A new "state-of-the-art" fire station and training centre has become operational in West Sussex.
The new build in MacFarlane Way, Horsham, named Platinum House, replaces a previous station in Hurst Road.
Chief fire officer Sabrina Cohen-Hatton said it "marked the start of a new era for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service".
The first call Horsham firefighters responded to from the new building was a fire involving a hedgerow and undergrowth in Warnham.
'Completely modernised'
The new centre incorporates a number of different training environments and is staffed by firefighters 24 hours a day, seven days a week, West Sussex County Council said.
It has been designed to support the county's carbon neutral aim, with features such as solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.
Council leader Paul Marshall said it represented a "significant investment" from the authority.
"The site has been designed to keep firefighters safe and prepared for incidents of any scale for many decades to come," he added.
Ms Sabrina Cohen-Hatton said it had "completely modernised the way in which we train our existing and future fighters".
Last February, the service decided to name the road MacFarlane Way in honour of station manager John Macfarlane who died in 2013.