New £1.45m combined fire and ambulance station opens up on the Isle of Man

The UK’s Isle of Man has seen its emergency services get a timely boost after a combined fire and ambulance station opened up on the island on the 4th October.
The plans for the brand new £1.45m centre, which is directly opposite the Isle of Man Airport, had been in the pipeline for a while, with Manx politicians in Tynwald approving the proposed plans back in June 2016.
The Home Affairs Minister, Bill Malarkey, has stated that the opening of the station will unearth a brand new era in partnership when it comes to working between front-line emergency services on the island itself.
The new station will replace Castletown’s former fire station, which had to be replaced after reaching the end of its operational life following 53 years worth of use.
As for the Southern Ambulance Service, they will also move from their current base at Four Roads in Port St Mary in order to join the new station.
The new combined station has modern facilities for staff, a 10m (33ft) training tower, and a drive-in/drive-out capability for both ambulances and fire appliances.