North Coast communities will be better protected with a state-of-the-art fire station at Kingscliff now open and fully operational.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke joined Member for Tweed Geoff Provest and Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Paul Baxter to officially open the $4.7 million facility.
"It's a very important day for the Kingscliff community and surrounds, with this new fire station providing a much needed boost to emergency response capability," Ms Cooke said.
"The two-storey station has been built on the existing Marine Parade site and includes a large dual-vehicle engine bay, dedicated 'clean firefighter' zones to guard against carcinogen contamination and separate male and female amenities."
Mr Provest said the station will provide the 18 on-call firefighters based at Kingscliff with fit-for-purpose facilities, including dedicated spaces for training, living and storage.
"This new station will give our firefighters the facilities and resources they need to keep the North Coast community stronger and safer in future emergencies. It's taken three years to complete and has been built to allow for possible expansion in the future as our region continues to grow," Mr Provest said.
Commissioner Baxter said the station has been designed to withstand the local weather conditions.
"The crew had to work out of portable buildings for a while as the construction work was carried out. But it's paid off when you look at this exciting new building that will serve and protect the people of Kingscliff and the surrounding areas well into the future," Commissioner Baxter said.
As a tribute to one of Kingscliff Fire Station's founders, Charlie Gilmont, a bottlebrush tree that was carefully removed during construction has been replanted at the new station.
