New "state-of-the-art" Cosham Fire and Police station officially opens after multi-million pound investment

Cosham Fire and Police Station in Northern Road is now up and running today (September 4) following a £16m investment. Chief Fire Officer Neil Odin, who has served in the fire service for 33 years, said he and his team are thrilled to work there.

He told The News: “It’s a state-of-the-art three-story fire station, with modern environmental features. It gives the firefighters excellent training facilities so we can protect our community even better.” Personnel from across the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) can use the building to train in dealing with a wide range of scenarios including road traffic collisions, car fires and house blazes.

CFO Odin, 51, said the station has a chamber so personnel can train for ship fires and can re-enact a real blaze by creating an environment with dark rooms, holes in the floor and thick smoke. “The teams really are equipped to be trained for the things they actually face,” he added.

“This is a big investment by the taxpayer, so we are making sure it’s used really well. Working with our colleagues in the constabulary will make us more efficient, which is more beneficial to the communities to keep them safe. The old fire station was small and we have outgrown it. We needed a bigger facility to provide our services. The investment is welcome and I’m grateful to the fire authority and taxpayers who have put money towards these sorts of sites.

“It’s really important we keep investing in the fire services and police. We’re using public money really well by sharing sites where we can. There’s nothing that impresses firefighters more than a new fire engine in a new station, so they’re really excited to be here and the future of this station. This will allow us to protect them and our communities.”

The facility is spread out across two acres and houses the Cosham crews and community safety teams. It’s considered the force’s second best location behind the Eastleigh headquarters. Solar panels and other energy efficiency measures are in place to make sure the building is carbon neutral by 2030. It also contains large appliance bays which are double the height of the previous station, as well as holding rooms and bookable community rooms.

Station Manager Lee Sheen, of Portsmouth, said the new location is a far cry from personnel working out of the previous station - which he added was a 1952 bungalow without an firefighters pole. “We needed new facilities and this station is four times the size of the old one,” he said. “People will travel for training because the facilities are so good. Firefighters are now training where they live.”

Battling contamination is a major priority for HIWFRS, with contaminants catching onto equipment following incidents. Treatment rooms - including tactical ventilation areas - have been built to clean the kit and protect firefighters, with areas being colour coded red, amber and green for safety.

Station Manager Lacey Plumbley said: “Contamination is an unspoken risk. We’re more aware of it from scientific studies and we’re doing everything we can to put the facilities in place. Firefighters now have the peace of mind that they’ll be safe following callouts.

“We know people who have been affected, suffering from cancer and other problems. Studies from across the world have tracked contaminates on bodies. We’ve now funded a dedicated team to make our personnel safer. It helps that we work closely with the police and it brings in a whole new dynamic.”