POLICE officers could soon be working out of Dursley fire station on a co-working basis.
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service commissioned a feasibility study into whether six fire stations could be shared with the police.
The survey looked at stations in Dursley, Stroud, Cirencester, Stow, Newent and Winchcombe.
And a report presented to councillors recently says two of the most promising options are Dursley and Newent, which police say would be viable locations for co-working.
Dursley fire station in Kingshill Road is already used by the ambulance service.
The report into the base stated: "This station was considered by police to be a viable option.
"The station is within a very short distance of the existing police station that offers community engagement, parking facilities and a varying degree of office accommodation and conversion options without compromising the fire stations identity and operational areas.
"This station is occupied by the ambulance service and has the potential to become the first blue-light operational station in Gloucestershire."
Fire, community safety and libraries member Dave Norman (C, Grange and Kingsway) said he was fully supportive of more collaboration with other emergency services at sites which were found to be viable..
He said: “We’ve always wanted to work collaboratively with the constabulary and under the 2017 Act there is a duty to cooperate which the previous police and crime commissioner would not do.
“But thankfully we are now in a situation where we have a police and crime commissioner who is looking as collaboratively as he can.
“Clearly, if the fire and rescue service has facilities that it can make available for the residents in those towns where there is a possible collaborative approach to community engagement with blue light services I’m 100% behind it.
“Having served for 30 years as an on-call firefighter myself across the country and where I experienced in the past successful blue light collaboration in premises were made available.”
Fire and rescue scrutiny committee chairman Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingshom and Wotton) welcomed the proposals.
He said: “If they were to share the facilities it would be the responsibility of the police authority for paying for the additional accommodation and there would be an annual rent toward the cost of the facilities."
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