Emergency Services - Case Study
Dorset Emergency Services Partnerships Initiative PFI
 | Location | Dorset |
| Project | PFI | |
| Client | Dorset Fire Authority and Dorset Police Authority | |
| Developer | Partnerships for Fire (Pff) | |
| Start | 2007 | |
| Contractor | Bluestone Plc | |
| FM Services | Cofathec | |
| Funder | Nationwide Building Society | |
| Project value | £48 million |
"This is a very important development in terms of providing a modern facility for the community and meeting their needs. We are delighted to be co-located with our partners, Dorset Police, in this innovative project and very much look forward to continuing to provide the fire and rescue service to Poole, and the wider community, in conjunction with the excellent development services offered by the Consortium"
Steven Lee, Assistant Chief Fire Officer for Dorset Fire & Rescue
Through our JV subsidiary, Pff, we are currently at Preferred Bidder stage, working toward Financial Close on the Dorset Emergency Services Partnership Initiative (DESPI) PFI Project. The project comprises the design, build, finance and operation of four separate buildings for the Dorset Police and Fire Authorities, located on three sites in the county.
Under the terms of the contract, we will undertake to build two new fire stations in Marshes End, Poole and Poundbury, Dorchester, and a new joint police divisional and fire area headquarters in Poole. In addition, a second fire headquarters building will be built adjacent to the new fire station at Poundbury.
Once completed, we will maintain the buildings for 25 years, taking full responsibility for lifecycle replacement and both the hard FM services and a limited suite of soft FM services.
The design solutions leverage considerable experience of providing flexible and adaptable emergency services accommodation, and reflect exhaustive consultation with user groups and the local community. Throughout planning and design development, we have recognised the importance of communication and engagement with the community to integrate their views and raise awareness to prevent incidents and ultimately save lives.
The new joint police and fire services headquarters will be located on the site of the existing Wimborne Road fire station. Facing the high street, the new facility provides an open atrium entry, welcoming and accessible for the local community. The four storey building will house a custody suite together with an operational police station on the ground floor with accommodation for CID Divisional Command and Support Services, Commercial Branch and Fraud above. The fourth floor houses the Fire Area Command.
The two fire stations have drive-through appliance bays, flexible accommodation and community and welfare facilities. Each will also be equipped with the latest real fire and cold smoke training facilities. Provision of combined Heat and Power (CHP) technology will be in keeping with local objectives to create more sustainable solutions to reduce the environmental impact of the project. Local people will be employed to enhance the viability of service provision long-term and make a positive contribution to achieving wider community outcomes.
Working in partnership with Dorset Fire Authority and Dorset Police Authority, we have led the project through a Home Office Design Review to satisfy The Duchy of Cornwall’s stringent design requirements for the Poundbury site. The review has been concluded to the satisfaction of our partners, achieving a design solution in keeping with local aesthetics whilst not compromising on function and operational response capability.
The DESPI project is an example of partnership working between the public and private sectors, and serves to provide a more modern and sustainable community safety service in Dorset. Construction work on all four buildings is expected to start in 2007 with completion of the construction phase in 2009.
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