Update on fire service's improvement from leader of West Sussex County Council

A message from the Leader of West Sussex County Council, Paul Marshall:

Many of you will know someone who works for our fire and rescue service, particularly in our communities served by retained firefighters who all live or work within a few minutes of their fire station. Quite rightly they are well-respected members of our community who carry out an extremely difficult job and face adversity as a matter of course when booking on for their shifts.

Many of you showed your support for this service at our fire station open day in Bognor Regis last weekend – and indeed at events throughout the summer, which have all been extremely well attended. It has been refreshing, after two years of stalled events due to the pandemic, to welcome everyone back to our fire stations once again. It is testament to the hard work and dedication of our firefighters that events like this are able to take place each year.

Many of you will also have been troubled by the news that emerged from London Fire Brigade last month following the publication of an independent cultural review. The review made for sad reading and unfortunately I think we all understand that these pockets of behaviour exist in wider society as a whole, and are certainly not limited to London Fire Brigade. We must all play our part in ensuring behaviour like this is not allowed to flourish.

In West Sussex, we have taken significant steps to ensure our fire and rescue service continues to reflect the diverse communities that we serve within the county. I admit it has not always been plain sailing as reflected in the difficult inspection we all saw in 2018. However, I am pleased to say that the service is in a very different place now following an improvement plan than it was four years ago.

Although the improvement has been completed this does not mean complacency as the council is always looking at how its services, including the fire service, can continuously improve its performance so they reflect the needs of our residents. In fact looking ahead to 2023, there is a lot to be optimistic about. Most notably we will be opening up the doors of our brand new multi-million-pound Training Centre and New Fire Station for Horsham. Currently under construction just off the A24 at Horsham and named Platinum House in honour of Her Late Majesty, this new station will be the first of its kind in West Sussex. I am confident that this significant £22m investment could be the best of its kind in the country. A proud achievement for the county.

It will be home to industry-leading technology that will allow our firefighters to carry out their training in realistic scenarios – so that when that 999 call comes in, they are fully prepared for whatever is waiting for them.

I am proud to say that sustainability is at the heart of the project, and we have placed a strong emphasis on the use of the latest technology and renewable energy sources to minimise our environmental footprint. The whole site will be carbon neutral, which supports the county council’s drive to become carbon neutral by 2030, with solar panels and electric vehicle charging points being fitted, as well as air source heat pumps providing the heating.

We are in difficult times and as a council we must use our resources wisely to ensure we support our most vulnerable. Our fire service is just one area where we continue to invest in our services to deliver for the whole of West Sussex.