Highland fire stations undergo £4 million upgrades
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has completed the second phase of a £4.6 million investment to modernise its Highland estate with the refurbishment of Dingwall Community Fire Station.
Ross Haggart, Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) unveiled a commemorative plaque at Dingwall to mark the £1.6 million upgrade of the on-call station. This follows a £3 million refurbishment of Inverness Community Fire Station which concluded earlier this year.
The refurbishment work saw essential repairs carried out and new welfare facilities fitted at both stations. This also includes the installation of new decontamination provisions such as locker and drying rooms and the implementation of ‘zoning systems’, ensuring firefighters can safely clean and manage kit and equipment after attending fires and other emergencies.
Chief Officer Ross Haggart said: “The safety and wellbeing of our staff is paramount, and I am proud of the improvements we’ve carried out at our Dingwall and Inverness stations.
“These upgrades ensure our dedicated staff have access to modern, state-of-the-art facilities that support their critical work in protecting the local community.
“Overall, this represents a significant investment into our Highland estate and is the latest part of a comprehensive refurbishment plan across Scotland as we continue to address challenges we face with our ageing estate.
“Our people are the very heart of what we do, and our community fire stations must be fit for our current and future staff, with appropriate facilities and safety measures in place.”
Area Commander Michael Humphreys, Local Senior Officer for Highland, said: “This refurbishment at Dingwall is a major milestone in our wider investment in improving facilities across the Highlands and follows a comprehensive upgrade at Inverness.
“These improvements provide our firefighters with the modern facilities they need to work safely and deliver the highest level of service. They will benefit our local communities for years to come.”
Chief Officer Haggart and Area Commander Humphreys welcomed elected officials and members of the community to Dingwall Community Fire Station for the formal reopening event on Monday, 28 October.
This included Councillor Graham MacKenzie, Chair of Highland Council’s Communities and Place Committee. He said: “It was great to be invited to visit the newly upgraded Dingwall fire station and speak to the firefighters about how the new facilities will enable them to continue to deliver lifesaving work within our communities for years to come.
“I’d like to acknowledge our community’s appreciation to all our on-call firefighters for the valuable and selfless work they do to protect us. The improved station facilities will support their critical work and hopefully attract female applicants, to consider joining the local crew.”