24/5/2006 - Media opportunity: Flood damaged fire station now has room for all

A new state of the art community training facility based inside Carlisle fire station is set to be unveiled. 

Thanks to a £40,000 investment from the government’s Community Safety Innovation Fund, two high-tech classrooms have been set up in the refurbished space previously occupied by the station’s flood damaged operations centre.

The new rooms are available free of charge for use by local schools and neighbourhood groups who can receive tailored fire safety lessons and other information while they are there.

The official opening takes place on Thursday 25 May at Carlisle fire  station where print and broadcast media are invited to attend to see the new facilities and watch a group of Carlisle pupils undergo a hard-hitting road safety training lesson.

The rooms, which boast plasma screens, printers and modern teaching-desks, will be set up on the day to show how the fire-service intends to get its important safety message across to people in the Carlisle area through the extension of innovative ideas like the county’s popular Young Fire-Fighters Scheme.

At 11:00am, the training rooms will be opened by Councillor Geoff Hodgson, cabinet member responsible for public protection.

At 11:30am at the rear of the station, 25 pupils from St. Aidan's School will watch firefighters cut open a damaged vehicle to demonstrate the devastating consequences of unsafe driving.

There will be a media opportunity to talk to children learning about road safety and representatives from local community groups who have been invited to come along during the morning and see first-hand what the new facility has to offer. Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s Area Manager for Carlisle and Eden Tony Stoddart will also be available to interview.

“This is a terrific new facility for Carlisle which will give the fire-service an excellent opportunity to push its important community safety message to even more people and build upon its growing community involvement,” said Councillor Geoff Hodgson.

“By turning this flood damaged space into a valuable new training facility for local schools and neighbourhood groups, the fire-service has shown its determination to look to the future.”

Local groups and schools wanting to book the Carlisle Fire Station's new high-tech classrooms can call the Fire Services Freephone number: 0800 358 4777.