Eco-friendly fire station

Ashton-Under-Lyne fire station

The new 'green' and eco-friendly Ashton-under-Lyne Community Fire Station was officially opened on 27th November 2007 by the Executive Leader of Tameside MBC, Councillor Roy Oldham, on time and within budget. 

The £2.4m station is conveniently located close to Junction 23 of the M60 and with easy access will play an important role in the rescue and treatment of casualties involved in road traffic incidents on this busy stretch of motorway, where required. It replaces the previous fire station which has occupied the site on Hodgson Street since the 1970s.

The new site was selected specifically to serve the changing geographical nature of the area and is strategically placed to serve the areas of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw and Droylsden, responding to the many and varied incidents that the service is required to deal with. 

Environmental initiatives
The new building is the first fire station in the UK specifically designed to be environmentally efficient.  It has achieved a 'very good' Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) accreditation, which is a measure of the building's carbon footprint.

Initiatives such as rainwater harvesting to flush toilets and solar collectors to provide hot water for shower and washing, along with a recycling policy throughout the construction phase and life of the building ensures best use of resources is made.  Recycled and waste materials have been utilised wherever possible in the construction programme and waste materials from the site have been recycled. This included:

• Recycled aggregates in the ground;
• Recycled crushed glass to bed drainage pipes;
• All spoil from site contained and re-spread following construction works;
• Timber products from sustainable sources all with accurate documentation.

The station facilities are provided over an 800 sq. metre area and include a multi-functional training area with purpose built facilities for confined space and Road Traffic Collision training. The site also boasts a state of the art Community Room which will be available for partner agencies and community groups to book, and an Outdoor Community Area allowing the fire service to enhance the way the community is engaged.

County Fire Officer Barry Dixon said, "We are proud to be the first fire and rescue service in the United Kingdom to build a station to receive a BREAAM accreditation. From this new, modern and ecologically friendly station Ashton's firefighters will continue their strong tradition of protecting the safety of all the residents of Tameside".

Leader of Tameside Council Cllr Roy Oldham said: "Having this new facility is good news for the people of Tameside. The fire station's convenient location next to the M60 motorway ensures that fire fighters can respond to emergencies quickly.  The fire service has invested a great deal of money in its training facilities; this means that residents and business in the borough are better protected in the event of an incident."

Project Manager, Tim Cheshire, said:  "The build quality and the way in which this project has developed is a credit to all involved in the team and KIER North West as the main contractor.  The success of this project will provide a template for any future fire stations we build."