£150k bid to make fire bases fit for purpose with gyms for staff

Fire chiefs are planning to spend £150,000 making sure all its bases have gyms.

Under the scheme, stations and other offices and depots used by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) will all get treadmills, exercise bikes and other fitness equipment, such as kettlebells.

It is hoped it will also improve the health of the service’s non-firefighting workers.

Speaking at yesterday’s meeting of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority Human Resources Committee, Coun Gary Haley, the panel’s chairman, said: “This is not just about providing leisure equipment for firefighters.

“This is about providing an environment where firefighters can be as fit as they can be, and so can other members of staff.

“It’s for fire safety, but also for sickness levels, so there’s an investment but also a payback.”

The only TWFRS facility not expected to get a gym upgrade under the scheme is the SafetyWorks centre, in Newcastle, which provides training for different emergency scenarios, such as house fires and road accidents.

The £150,000 for fitness equipment is due to be funded from the fire service’s.

And extra cash from the European Skills Funding Agency is being used to train more than 60 Physical Training Instructors.

The investment is part of TWFRS’s Fitness For Life plan, which covers mental health, lifestyle and diet, as well as physical fitness.

Fire chiefs also agreed to consider the possibility of allowing former fire service staff to use new fitness facilities, following a request by Gateshead councillor Kevin Dodds, a former firefighter.