Ambulance Service find new home in Grange-over-Sands

The North West Ambulance Service will retain a presence in Grange-over-Sands thanks to a partnership with Cumbria Fire and Rescue.

More than a year ago, NWAS put out an appeal to the Grange-over-Sands community to help them stay in the town, and now, thanks to Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), they’ve now moved down the road into the fire station on Kents Bank Road, and are settling in well with their blue light colleagues.

NWAS was based at its small station on the same road for more than 20 years and when the current owners declared an interest in reclaiming the site for their own use – the hunt was on to find an alternative in the town.

NWAS Area Director for Cumbria and Lancashire, Matt Cooper said: “There is a definite need for an ambulance based in Grange-over-Sands so we wanted to do everything we could to ensure we could stay.

‘’Unfortunately, suitable properties just weren’t available so it is great news to now be able to confirm that we are now sharing accommodation with Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service.

“We would like to thank the local community who were so helpful in suggesting new sites, our current site’s owners R.A. and J.S. Fletcher and Sons who have looked after us for 20 years, and of course, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service for opening up their station to us.”

NWAS currently have one 24/7 emergency ambulance in Grange-over-Sands which is operated by a team of eight clinicians. Refurbishment at the fire station will get underway soon and to create a mess room, kitchen, bathroom, locker room and office area. Everything that is required for a functioning station.

A canopy will be erected outside, and there will be parking for ambulances and staff parking. Once contractors are in place, it should take about two months to complete the works, after ehich we will move from the current shared accommodation into our own space on the site.

Initially, the agreement is for 12 months with the potential to make it a permanent arrangement.

Matt added: “Our two services work very closely together on all manner of incidents, and we have very good relationships with fire colleagues. Our staff are thrilled to have a new base and are pleased to be able to continue to serve the local community from the town.”

Ian Seel, CFRS Area Manager said: “We are proud to be able to provide a home in Grange for our colleagues at North West Ambulance Service. To have our two organisations working side by side from the same site will bring tremendous benefits to the wider community.

“This arrangement is the first of its kind for an On-Call station in Cumbria, and it mirrors other positive examples of collaboration between Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service, including at the Ulverston Blue Light Hub.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with NWAS, and our dialogue will continue towards making this temporary arrangement a permanent one.”

Mike Johnson, Cumbria’s Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said: “I am really pleased to see the move take place after meeting with NWAS and CFRS to assist with the process and ensuring that both services were happy with the final outcome.

“Our blue light services work incredibly close on a number of accidents and emergencies, so sharing accommodation is a sensible solution – especially in a smaller community.

“It allows staff to interact and get to know one another, providing a better working relationship, so this move can only be a positive.

“We’re pleased to welcome NWAS into the Grange Fire Station and look forward to developing our local collaboration.”