Chirk ambulance station closure 'could put lives at risk'

The Welsh Assembly has announced plans to build the new emergency services base at the current fire station in Bradley Road, Wrexham, which will see Chirk Ambulance Station close.

Councillor Terry Evans, Wrexham Borough member for Chirk South, said the new station would mean ambulances would be so far away from Chirk and the Ceiriog Valley that it could put lives at risk.

He said: "The Welsh Assembly has announced it will back the new emergency services centre in Wrexham which will see the Chirk ambulance base close.

"I am really very concerned that this will put the health of people in need of an emergency ambulance in the Ceiriog Valley at risk.

"They always say that there is a key golden hour in getting emergency treatment and there is no chance an ambulance will be able to get from Wrexham to the valley and back in that time. We could be talking up to 26 miles each way."

Both fire and ambulance crews will share services at the new base, with the Welsh Assembly contributing £8.4m to the cost.

Health Minister Mark Drakeford said it would give the two services the most modern facilities and allow better co-ordination of responses to incidents.

The new centre will include a local community safety office, an eight-bay fire station, a state-of-the-art training house and drill tower with a road traffic collision training area, ambulance accommodation, including a fleet workshop, offices and deployment base for response staff and facilities for staff, including a rest room, dining rooms, main office, lockers, meeting and training rooms, which will be shared by both services.

Professor Drakeford said: "This project will provide the most modern facilities available for both the fire and ambulance services in the area. It will allow them to work even closer together, creating more efficient and effective services.

"Most importantly, it will allow greater coordination when it comes to responding to incidents and improve response times."

Elwyn Price-Morris, chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, added: "We are thrilled that Welsh Government saw the potential in this project and approved our Full Business Case.

"This development will provide modern, improved and upgraded services, and make the best use of resources for both organisations.

"Dedicated fleet assistants will improve the cleanliness of vehicles and reduce the risk of cross infection, enabling clinicians to spend more time face-to-face with patients delivering better care for the area.

"Along with this is, of course, the added bonus of being co-located with emergency service colleagues with whom we already have a close working relationship and attend many incidents together.

"A lot of hard work and preparation has gone into this project from the partnership, and we look forward to seeing the construction begin."