Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has provided and update on the new Incident Command and Leadership Development Academy in Bury.

The academy has already started offering its first courses and is described as a great new asset for all colleagues across the service.

A spokesperson for GMFRS said: “Our new Incident Command and Leadership Development Academy is really coming along and will be a fantastic asset for our colleagues.

“We have now started the first courses at the Academy and look forward to the opportunities the site will offer the Service.”

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The fire service launched a four-year fire plan back in 2021 by investing millions into a long-term programme of improvements to update its buildings and facilities.

All refurbishments have a heavy focus on reducing their carbon footprint whilst supporting their ambition of becoming carbon neutral by 2038.

The Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Hughes awarded GMFRS £38m in July 2021 for the first phase of the programme which was conducting huge improvements at the Training and Safety Centre in Bury, with a new Incident Command and Leadership Development Academy.

The Incident Command and Leadership Development Academy on site on Wellington Street will provide a fully immersive experience in operational and incident command training and assessment.

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It is part of Bury Training and Safety Centre.

The fire plan published in 2021 said how Bury Training and Safety Centre houses a purpose-built training and safety centre designed to help visitors protect themselves against fire and other dangers.

Dubbed as “The visit that could save your life” it introduces the work of GMFRS and provides an immersive theatre that engages the senses with the smell of smoke, the heat of fire and the sound of sirens to put visitors in the middle of an emergency incident.

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The centre not only offers a curriculum enhancing, interactive learning environment that supports the work of schools and emergency services, but also shows visitors how to protect themselves against fire and other dangers, and what to do in an emergency.

As well as the immersive theatre, visitors can witness the impact of a car crash with a simulated collision and explore a full-size house to spot the risks and see the devastation of fire damage.

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