The new Woolston Fire Station was officially opened by Fire and Emergency Chairman Paul Swain in Christchurch today.

"Our Christchurch stations were devastated by the 2011 Canterbury earthquake," Fire and Emergency New Zealand chairman Paul Swain says.

"This modern station is another step in redeveloping the metropolitan city’s entire network of fire stations."

Woolston is the third of six Christchurch career stations to be rebuilt and reopened since the Canterbury earthquakes. One composite and three volunteer stations are also included in the rebuild programme.

Fire and Emergency Christchurch Metro Area Manager Dave Stackhouse says the rebuild programme "represents a significant organisational investment and has provided us with a unique opportunity to build a future-proofed network of stations that meets community needs and addresses ever-changing call types and demand".

"I am confident, and the people of Christchurch can be confident, that we have the foundation of a great emergency service capability, one that will assist with their protection and future resilience for many years".

The Woolston station has been built on the existing site at a total cost of $6.9 million.

It features two appliance bays, six single bedrooms, a gym, kitchen and lounge and purpose-built "dirty to clean" zones so firefighters can bag smoke-contaminated gear in a negative pressure environment and then shower to prevent carcinogen transfer into "clean" living and work areas.

The station also has a vehicle fume management system (a hose that connects to vehicle exhausts) so the appliance bay isn’t filled with fumes from appliances coming and going.

Last year Woolston responded to 648 incidents including 73 structure fires, 33 vegetation fires, 87 other fires, 76 medical events, 46 motor vehicle accidents and 238 false alarms.

The Woolston crew moved back into the station in mid-June.

ENDS

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