Fire training site upgrade will boost recruitment

Surrey County Council has not revealed how much money it has assigned to the redevelopment project

New training facilities in Reigate will help to attract “the right people” to the fire service, according to a senior officer.

Surrey County Council recently approved the largest single training investment in Surrey Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) history.

Assistant chief fire officer Sally Wilson said replacing the dated buildings in Wray Park will lead to a “modern service for the future”.

Local residents who were invited to watch a training session have been asked to give their feedback on the planned redevelopment.

Ms Wilson told BBC Radio Surrey: “We pride ourselves on the training we provide.

"If we’ve got modern facilities, then that’s really going to help attract the right people.”

'New level'

The new buildings will allow training involving working at height, live fire behaviour, use of breathing apparatus and operations in confined spaces.

Group Commander Adrian Willard said they will take the service’s training to “a new level”.

He said: “The [current] building is over 40 years old. It’s coming to end of life because we do set live fires in there.”

He said the new technology will help to address “contaminants” on local residents caused by live fire training.

If plans are approved, SFRS said building work will begin in autumn 2025 and is estimated to last a year and a half.