A new home has opened for four emergency services all under one roof in Llantwit Major.
South Wales Police, South Wales Fire & Rescue Service, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust and HM Coastguard will all operate from the former Llantwit Major Fire and Rescue Station.
A new way of working – with 999 services co-located on one site – is already strengthening relationships between emergency service partners, creating more effective ways of working and supporting the sharing of information which will benefit the public.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Group Manager Christian Hadfield, said: “This is a fantastic collocation venture for our emergency services to work alongside and learn from each other, which is beneficial for our communities of the Vale of Glamorgan and wider.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales Rt Hon Alun Michael said “The decision to bring all four emergency services together under one roof shows our commitment to make efficient use of public resources whilst enhancing collaborative partnership working and service delivery. Llantwit Major is the third largest town in the Vale of Glamorgan and we are committed to maintaining a presence within the town. Rather than each emergency service being housed in separate buildings, which all needed refurbishment works, we have now come together in a modernised and improved shared station.”
South Wales Police Chief Constable Matt Jukes said, “We work really closely with Blue Light colleagues day-in and day-out. This is a great chance to bring our people together and even better, include the full range of four services operating on our coastline. All of this means that each organisation can make best use of public money and keep our front-line staff at the heart of the community.”
HM Coastguard Senior Coastal Operations Officer Nicola Davies said: “Working under the same roof as the other emergency services will give us the opportunity to strengthen important relationships, work more collaboratively and ensure that the public are getting the best possible service. It’s an exciting time.”
Welsh Ambulance Service’s Area Operations Manager for Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, Mark Cadman said: “The new station presents the perfect opportunity to work more closely with our blue light colleagues, with whom we already have an excellent working relationship and attend many incidents together. Operating from one base also allows greater co-ordination when it comes to responding to incidents and makes the best use of resources, not to mention the improved facilities for our staff.”
