FP MCCANN PIPES AND CATCHPIT CHAMBERS FORM TUNNEL TRAINING RIG AT NEW MERSEYSIDE FIRE AND RESCUE TRAINING ACADEMY

Project: Pipe Tunnels and Chambers Training Rig – Fire and Rescue Training Centre, Aintree, Merseyside.

Client: Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

Main Contractor: Wates Construction

Civils & Groundworks: Williams Construction

Products Supplied: 900mm id Spigot and Socket Pipes; Precast Concrete Catch Pit Bases; Chamber Rings; Capping Slabs

FP McCann is currently supplying precast concrete spigot and socket pipes and catchpit chambers to form a specialist training tunnel rig at Merseyside Fire & Rescue Authority’s state of the art Training Academy and National Resilience Centre of Excellence. The 12 acre build site is in Aintree and includes above ground buildings and enclosed infrastructure to provide immersive and realistic environments for fire and rescue training and innovative development.

Once complete in mid 2024, the ultra-modern facility will include training zones that can be adapted to train fire and rescue teams for any foreseeable risk including high-rise, marine, flooding, motorway and train incidents. The site will also include a 4-bay fire station offering 24-hour emergency response to the surrounding area and a National Resilience Centre of Excellence at the heart of the facility. Wates Construction are undertaking the main building work on behalf of client Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.

FP McCann’s supply package includes 900mm id spigot and socket pipes, precast concrete catchpit bases, chamber rings and capping slabs. The precast units are being configured to form a network of tunnels and chambers which will provide a realistic environment for enclosed space training including both smoke and water-filled situations. Undertaking the installation on behalf of Wates Construction is Stockport based civils and groundworks specialist Williams Construction.

The site consisting of a six-storey building, a row of terraced houses, a motorway setting, the FP McCann pipe and chamber tunnel rig, plus many other features, means the Merseyside training and development facility will be one of a very few of its kind in operation and will offer vital experience to firefighters as they tackle controlled fire and rescue situations whilst experiencing realistic difficulties and complications under qualified supervision.

The pipes and catchpit chambers are being supplied from FP McCann’s Ellistown factory in Leicestershire. Speaking on behalf of Wates Construction, Derek Urquhart, Design Manager, says, “Utilising offsite manufactured precast products on this unique project has had major benefits in terms of speed of construction and robustness of structure. To build such a tunnel and chamber network using formwork and pouring of wet concrete would take days. Additionally, the proven resilience and sustainability of precast concrete over alternative pre-formed products, gives us the confidence that we have put in place a structure that will be fit for its specific purpose for many years.”