Notts police and firefighters sharing welfare unit

The vehicle, which is based at Stapleford Fire Station will be used by officers for comfort breaks and has a seating area, microwave and a hot water facility as well as two toilets.Until recently, the Police had a Command Trailer which could be used for officers, but this is now not fit for purpose.

NFRS area manager Bryn Coleman said: “Once again we’re really pleased to be working closely with our Police colleagues on what is another joint project. By working together and sharing resources in this way we are able to make both our organisations more efficient and more effective – which ultimately means a better service and better value for the public.

“The Welfare Unit is a great asset and has been used by our crews at a range of incidents – including the recent Nottingham Railway Station fire. It makes a lot of sense that we share such a resource with our colleagues who will now be able to benefit from the facilities as we do.

“This is yet another step forward in our collaboration journey and our relationship with Nottinghamshire Police which, much like our relationship with our other key partners, is going from strength-to-strength.”

Nottinghamshire Police Supt Paul Winter added: "The move comes as part of the Blue Light Collaboration work, which is on-going. The current police practice is to hire welfare vehicles from rental agencies when needed and this can lead to delays in delivery and extra cost. Therefore, we are delighted to be working closely with Notts Fire and Rescue Service.

"Welfare of our staff is paramount and the facilities this unit will offer should be a welcome relief to officers who are deployed for long periods of time at scenes or operations. The Chief Constable wants to be an employer of choice and looking after our staff better is one way of helping to achieve this.

"We will now use this facility at long term incidents and large events and we are delighted with the on-going collaboration with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service to allow us to do this."

Also commenting, Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping described this latest project as making complete sense. He said: “There’s a great deal of work going on with Fire and Rescue colleagues including better sharing of our estate and equipment and greater cooperation on emergency planning," he added.

“Officers and staff from both organisations are expected to spend a great deal of time at incidents and it’s entirely likely that they will be in attendance at the same location. A properly kitted-out welfare unit is an essential resource for those attending and this joint, bespoke, unit will be a much more efficient solution than recurrent rental contracts.”