Moreton-in-Marsh's Fire Service College has received a £5million investment for new training facilities and an accommodation block.

Capita hosted a turf-cutting ceremony at the college on Monday to mark the start of construction of new facilities for Ministry of Defence firefighters.

The ceremony was attended by dignitaries including Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Cotswolds MP, Mike Cooper, MOD Director for Children and Young People, Group Captain Lee Taylor, 11 Group Senior Air Staff Officer, Jason Clay, Managing Director for Capita Fire and Rescue and Marc Bayley, Regional Director at Beard.

Capita says the £5m investment is part of its 12-year Defence Fire and Rescue Project to modernise the MOD's fire and rescue services.

The facilities, being built by construction firm Beard, will enable the college to provide state-of-the-art firefighter training, such as Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) on several different simulated airframes, along with a wide range of other firefighting scenarios.

Other new facilities include an accommodation block for trainees and an additional fire station.

It is expected that construction will be completed by next autumn, when the first cohort of MOD firefighters are expected to begin training at the college.

Capita’s contract with the MOD commenced in August 2019 and over the next 12 years Capita will invest in new technology, fire appliances and equipment to develop a modernised fire and rescue service that will also harness digital technology to reduce risk to the MOD’s firefighters, personnel and assets.

The Fire Service College, a Capita owned and operated facility, is one of the premier global fire and rescue training facilities. It provides learners with the opportunity to train and exercise in a realistic and challenging environment with direction and supervision from expert instructors.

From 2021, approximately 1,700 military and civilian firefighters will be trained each year at the College or by instructors from the College at military bases around the UK.

Jason Clay, Managing Director for Capita Fire and Rescue, said: “This marks an exciting new chapter for the Fire Service College and the Ministry of Defence’s fire and rescue capability. Our £5m investment in state-of-the-art training and accommodation facilities at Moreton-in-Marsh is a key part of our 12-year contract to manage and modernise the Department’s fire service.

“Over the course of our multi-year transformation programme we will work with the Ministry of Defence to deliver an exciting range of technology-enabled modernisation initiatives that improve service capability and reduce risk to firefighters, Defence personnel and the critical assets they operate.”

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Member of Parliament for The Cotswolds, said: “This is fantastic news for the Fire College as it will see significant improvements, provide many much-needed jobs locally, and will see local builder Beard building a new accommodation block. I look forward to observing the progress of the contract and was honoured to be a part of the turf cutting this morning.”

Marc Bayley, Regional Director at Beard, said: “It is important that the College has the capacity and amenities to keep pace with demand. This is an important first stage in providing more accommodation and better training facilities. We are looking forward to marking other milestones along the way.”