To consider report CFO/032/23 which outlines the current progress of the Multi-pump Fire Station and Training and Development Academy/National Resilience Centre of Excellence at Long Lane, Aintree.

Monitoring Officer, Ria Groves advised Members that there was a typographical error in the report on page 18 of the agenda, paragraph 40. Members were asked to consider the report with a clarification to the percentage figure to read 2.5%.

Chief Fire Officer, Phil Garrigan presented report CFO/032/23 which detailed the ongoing progress of the new Training and Development Academy and Fire & Rescue Station at Long Lane, Aintree.

Members reviewed drone footage of the site which showed that construction was well underway and Members were advised that the project was halfway through it’s 80 week life cycle.

The Committee were advised that there had been some increase in costs due to an increase in the amount of spoil that had to be removed from the site to attain the finished ground level specified by Liverpool City Council during the planning process.

The Chief Fire Officer, Phil Garrigan reported that the Authority was exploring providing national and international training at the Academy to help cover some of the running costs of the training facility. Members were advised that the plans formed part of the continual progressive improvement plan for Merseyside with the merging of Croxteth and Aintree Stations resulting in a quicker response time and better facilities for the firefighters. Utilising the site to provide a secondary control room as a fall back position for fire control was also highlighted as a benefit of the proposal.

It was explained that of the 12 acres, three remained latent so that the site could adapt to future risks, The recommendations sought to include classrooms adjacent to training zones to maximise the amount of training time available.

Councillor Barbara Murray enquired as to the number of students each classroom could accommodate and asked how the Authority was ensuring it utilised all of its spaces effectively. The Chief Fire Officer explained that the current site did not meet the needs of the service and as a result, some training had not been able to be provided by MFRA. Therefore, the service was confident that there would be the demand to necessitate additional classrooms when taking into consideration the national training needs as well as the potential international training that could take place.

Head of Estates, Stewart Woods advised Members that each classroom was designed to accommodate 12 individuals with an option to remove a partition wall and increase the capacity to 40. It was noted that the Road Traffic Collison classroom would include an external canopy so crews could continue to train regardless of the weather.

Councillor Pat Moloney enquired as to the length of the lease with Scottish Power referenced in paragraph 39 of the report and it was explained that the finer details of the lease were still in discussion with Liverpool City Council who currently owned the land.

Stewart Woods was asked about the quality of the soil at the site and Members were assured that any soil that could be reused had been incorporated into the construction of the site.

With regards to marine rescue training, the Chief Fire Officer explained that this could be included in future phases of the Academy as part of the work around future risks. Members were assured that currently there were multiple sites that the Authority could use for training marine rescue and the Authority had good working relationships with the ports in the county.

The Members discussed whether an Income Generating Officer would form part of the team for the new development with a scope to consider income generating opportunities with external trainers. The Chief Fire Officer said that this would be a consideration and explained that through national and international training, some of the costs of the project could be offset and any additional revenue could be reinvested back into the communities of Merseyside. Therefore, the project would not generate income but could seek to cover its own costs.

The current plan was to focus on the Authority’s core training needs and specialist training linked to the Integrated Risk Management Plan and MFRA’s specialist capabilities. Future National and International training would be considered as part of the Authority’s future Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP).

RESOLVED that:

a)    the contents of the report and progress made to date be noted; and

b)    the increase in the overall project capital budget by £1m as detailed in the financial section, to be funded by a drawdown from the capital reserve be approved.