New training centre and fire station wins award

Teaching areas at the centre include a cold smoke tower and a traffic collision training area

A new fire station and training centre has been named Building Project of the Year and described as "inspirational" by judges.

Platinum House in Horsham, West Sussex, won the prize at the South East Centre for the Built Environment (SECBE) Constructing Excellence Awards.

The multi-million-pound project, which opened in July 2023, replaced a previous fire station in Hurst Road.

The judging panel highlighted Platinum House as an "inspirational project that delivered outstanding outcomes".

The building includes a fire training facility, which is the first of its kind in the UK, according to West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service.

It includes a four-storey cold smoke training tower, an incident command training facility, a road traffic collision training area, and digital simulation rooms.

Chief fire officer Sabrina Cohen-Hatton said Platinum House had "set a new standard in firefighter training and showcases best practice and thoughtfulness towards gender equality in the workplace".

She said it would ensure the county's firefighters would "continue to have the skills and knowledge to keep residents safe for years to come".

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