Release date: 31 May 2023
Firefighters who have called Horsham Fire Station their home throughout its 60-year life returned to the station on Saturday (27 May) to say a final goodbye to their much-loved station.
Together with their families and the crews currently serving at the station on Hurst Road they marked the end of an era as the fire service prepares to move to Platinum House – its brand new Training Centre and Fire Station for Horsham.
The special event on Saturday was held for retired and serving members of the service and their families to get together and share their experiences and memories of the station since it first opened in the mid-1960s.
Guests enjoyed a slideshow of old photos from the station’s history and had the opportunity to walk around a selection of old West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service fire engines in the drill yard, long since retired from service. The vehicles are now owned by various private individuals since being decommissioned from the service.
The event also raised money for The Fire Fighters Charity through the sale of raffle tickets and refreshments.
Roy Barraclough, Station Manager at Horsham Fire Station, said: “We were delighted to welcome retired and serving firefighters and their families to Horsham Fire Station to give it the proper send-off it deserves.
“Around 200 people came along to the event which started in the afternoon and continued through to the early evening.
“It was a lovely and fitting tribute to a fire station that has served the community so well over the years.
“I would also like to personally thank the organising committee for their hard work in organising the event which was a great success and enjoyed by so many people.”
Preparations are underway to move firefighters across to Platinum House – the town’s new fire station situated near Highwood Mill off the A24 at Horsham. The new site includes a state-of-the-art training facility together with a new fire station to serve Horsham and the surrounding areas.
The site is currently nearing completion and expected to be launched this summer. The site has been named in honour of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The training centre will be the first of its type in the county and will allow firefighters to train in a wide range of realistic scenarios, such as live fire conditions, working from height and road traffic collisions.
The construction and delivery of the new training centre and fire station forms one of the key Strategic Priorities in the service’s Community Risk Management Plan.
You can find out more about the new training centre and fire station on West Sussex County Council’s website.