New Isle of Man Civil Defence HQ to 'speed up' response times

Vehicles and trailers can now be stored at one central location

A new dedicated headquarters for the Isle of Man's Civil Defence department will speed up response times, the home affairs minister has said.

The building, opposite the Department of Home Affairs in Douglas, was officially opened on Wednesday.

It contains equipment, storage space and a training room, which can be used as a major incident room.

Previously equipment and vehicles were stored at several locations in Douglas.

Bill Malarkey MHK said: "Now we've got everything under the one roof, if there is an emergency it's going to speed things up."

Team leader Russell Smith said the new headquarters made things easier for volunteers

Civil Defence volunteers carry out search and rescue operations and assist the emergency services during major incidents.

Team leader Russell Smith said the new headquarters would make things easier for the island's 43 volunteers.

He said: "Before when we were called out we had to go here, there and everywhere to get everything.

"Now we're all in one place and our response times are getting a lot better."

Emergency planning officer Jane Kelly said the new site would also improve the maintenance of equipment.

She added: "We haven't got to spend time going up to different units to check equipment, it's all here, and it just saves time for us with everything we do."

The building has a training room that can be used as a major incident room