Date set for opening of new fire service HQ
Work is soon to begin converting an existing storage unit at Theale Cross into the new fire headquarters for Berkshire.
And after the refurbishment of the building, all the 999 calls for the Thames Valley will also be handled in the Calcot building.
Berkshire Fire Authority has awarded the £3,797,290 contract for the refurbishment of the building in Pincents Lane to Graham Construction Limited.
In the past all three fire authorities, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire had their own emergency call centres, with Berkshire being located at Dee Road in Reading. However, the building was built in the 1970s is now deemed unfit for purpose.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Paul Southern said: "We had a structural survey done of the current building and it has got concrete cancer.
"The advantage of [moving location] was that if we were going to refurbish Dee Road we would have to decant our staff for about a year.
"It would cause disruption and the cost would be about double to this option. It was more cost effective to find an existing building."
The new building is expected to have about a 30-year life expectancy.
The existing fire station will move to a location in Theale, close to the M4 junction, as this was decided to be the optimum place for a new station.
The existing Dee Road fire station site will be sold to help fund the relocation.