Handsworth Community Fire Station
Handsworth Community Fire Station is the first purpose built community fire station in Europe and was opened officially in June 2000, as a joint initiative with Birmingham City Council SRB4 Community Safety Team. It includes a fully resourced Safety Centre of Excellence and an interactive educational resource - The Red Hot Education Station.
Handsworth Safety Centre for Excellence
Built as a joint initiative with Birmingham City Council SRB4, Community Safety Team, the award- winning Centre is designed to provide a service to the local community, whilst delivering a proactive approach to safety issues with an emphasis on fire safety. The Centre provides a focal point for community safety and welfare for the local community and organisations; helping to make the West Midlands safer for all.
The Centre has all of the usual conference facilities available including a 60 seat presentation theatre, a fully equipped IT training room with 17 workstations, a general training room, a small interview room and a conference room. Although the rooms are available for hire, non-funded groups from the local community actively involved in the betterment or safety of the community may, at the discretion of the Centre manager, be offered the facilities free of charge. Please contact the Centre or ask at reception for room booking details.
Under ideal circumstances the Fire Service will be with you on average five minutes after you call for help, possibly sooner. Unfortunately even that may be too late as the fires crews who witness the devastation, pain and suffering at first hand will testify. We know that we cannot always get to people in distress in time, but if we are able to talk to them in advance then we can pass on information and discuss options to prevent the fire occurring in the first place or to demonstrate means of surviving - PREVENTION, being the key.
Handsworth Community Fire Safety Centre allows the Fire Service to do this through direct interaction by promoting the fire safety message. In its first four years the Centre hosted almost 70,000 visitors, each one an opportunity to make people safer through links to agencies that utilise the Centre or joint working with the community.
Red Hot Education Station
A recent development to the Centre is the Red Hot Education Station, an interactive Fire Experience designed to allow groups to witness the dangers of a real fire in total safety and discover the consequences. They can then tour a virtual room containing safety hazards and learn the best way to survive if trapped by fire.
Visitors are also encouraged to take advantage of a FREE initiative the West Midlands Fire Service are able to offer - Home Fire Risk Assessments by trained professionals. Your local firefighters will come to your home and carry out a fire safety check; they may also be able to provide equipment to make your home safer (Look at our on-line booking form by clicking here).
By doing this we intend to make the West Midlands a safer place in which to live, and we will do this with your help by preventing fires from occurring in the first instance wherever possible.
We hope you enjoy your visit and we have helped to increase your awareness of safety issues. If we can be of any further assistance during your visit or you wish to make any comments please speak to any member of the staff on reception.
Red Hot Education Station: Opening Hours
Opening hours are 09:00 to 17:00hrs from Monday to Friday, although it may be used by prior arrangement outside of these hours. If you wish to use the facility you will need to request a trained operator.
We have found through experience that smaller groups get the most benefit, although we are able to cater for groups of up to 30. Groups of this size will be divided into two parties and rotated around the facilities. You need to allow a minimum of one hour although 90 minutes are preferable. We have worked with a wide variety of groups of people with a range of different needs. If you need further advice, specific to your groups needs, please contact us for advice.
Contact us
If you want to find out more about Handsworth Community Fire Safety Centre or to use the Red Hot Education Station facilities you can contact your local Fire Station or:
Handsworth Community Fire Safety Centre of Excellence,41 Rookery Road,
Handsworth,
Birmingham,
B21 9QU.
Tel: 0121 523 3351
Fax: 0121 554 2883
E-mail: handsworth.cfsc@wmfs.net
To arrange an appointment for a FREE safety check in your home click here or ring FREE 0800 389 5525