November 17, 2017 4.15 pm This story is over 76 months old

Joint ambulance and fire station officially opens in Louth

Louth and Horncastle MP Victoria Atkins cut a ribbon and officially opened the station.
Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter

A joint ambulance and fire station has officially opened in Louth as part of a national blue light collaboration programme.

The station was opened by Louth and Horncastle MP Victoria Atkins at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, November 17.

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) ambulance crews relocated from the Louth Ambulance Station on November 1, to the Louth Fire Station which is just over a mile away on Eastfield Road.

To mark the occasion, both fire and ambulance teams demonstrated how they work together:

Richard Hunter, Lincolnshire Ambulance operations manager for EMAS, said: “Our ambulance crews respond to around 500 emergency calls a day from people in Lincolnshire.

“We treat patients in their home, at the scene of an incident and on the way to hospital if further care is needed. This means most of our time is spent away from the station.

“Sharing facilities with the fire service is a sensible move that will allow us to invest more in our patient services, and to give colleagues improved facilities for use when they start and end their shift.”

Sarah Turner, East Division watch commander, added: “Working together is a great start for all future emergency service collaborations within Lincolnshire and the organisations coming together improves the services we deliver to our community.

“With an increasing demand for some of our services, coupled with the current constraints on funding, collaboration provides opportunities to truly innovate and save money.”