New £3.75m Asset Resource Centre officially opened in Dundee
Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs Annabelle Ewing has officially opened the new state-of-the-art facility at Dundee to maintain the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) fleet of emergency vehicles.
It will join forces with an existing facility at Inverness to ensure communities across the North are protected in times of emergency.
The new Asset Resource Centre at Claverhouse was opened by Annabelle Ewing, Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs in Dundee today, 17 November.
It represents a £3.75m investment that brings together 35 staff – including experienced mechanics, stores, ICT and property specialists. It includes a substantial garage for maintenance of fire engines, an IT hub and space for support staff.
The new base at Dundee will oversee the service and repair of 348 vehicles from across 164 stations across the north of Scotland, including Shetland, ensuring the SFRS can respond to emergencies whenever and wherever they arise.
Also, seven new mobile units based at Dundee will bolster that delivery. They will carry out additional vehicle repairs at fire stations across the North.
The new facility gives the Service four strategically placed Asset Resource Centres, with two in the North and the others in Glasgow and Edinburgh supporting the rest of the country.
Sarah O’Donnell is the Director of Finance & Contractual Services for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
She said: “There is no doubt that this multimillion investment at Dundee will modernise our key areas of fleet workshops, stores, property and ICT support.
“This will combine with our existing Asset Resource Centre at Inverness to meet the unique geographical and logistical demands of keeping our northern fleet on the road and serviced to the very highest possible standard.
“Our firefighters stand on the front line at times of emergency and this strategic investment will ensure they can continue to keep our communities safe."
Annabelle Ewing, Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs said: "I am delighted to open this state of the art facility which will play a key role in supporting Scotland’s firefighters to keep our communities safe.
“This is a significant step in a major investment which will deliver four such centres across Scotland, bringing together the technical expertise which helps keep the vast SFRS network running.”
The project at Claverhouse Industrial Estate commenced in June 2015 following Ministerial approval. The site was thereafter purchased from Dundee City Council.
The facility was constructed by Robertson Tayside with Architectural Services provided by Gauldie Wright & Partners Architects.