Suffolk firefighters' £1.3m revamped training centre opens

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service Training Centre at Wattisham Flying Station, near Stowmarket, has had a £1.3m upgrade

A new-look training centre for firefighters has been formally opened.

The Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service Training Centre at Wattisham Flying Station, near Stowmarket, has recently undergone a £1.3m upgrade.

It features a tactical firefighting facility, which simulates incidents firefighters may be faced with.

Chief fire officer Jon Lacey said it was an "exciting new chapter" for the centre that has been based at Wattisham for more than a decade.

"Our new training centre provides additional classrooms and office space, supporting various aspects of fire and rescue training, such as incident command," he said.

"It also provides improved welfare facilities, which were designed to bring everyone together in an atmosphere where they feel they belong.

"Similarly, the new training complexes allow us to give new firefighters the best training possible in a way that is realistic yet less harmful to the environment, through us not having to use as much carbon-based burning material as before."

The centre has been based at Wattisham for more than a decade

It has a tactical firefighting facility, which simulates incidents firefighters may be faced with

The centre was officially opened on Thursday.

Wattisham is primarily a flying base used by the Army.

Suffolk County Council said fire service training centre had been at Wattisham since 2011 and occupied a 17-acre (seven-hectare) site that previously housed the Bloodhound missile system from the Cold War.

It is used throughout the year for a wide range of training requirements which include refresher and ongoing assessments by all staff.

Chief fire officer Jon Lacey said the facility gave firefighters the "best training possible in a way that is realistic yet less harmful to the environment"