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London’s new headquarters opened by The Queen |
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Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, officially opened the new London Fire Brigade Headquarters at Union Street, Southwark on February 21. The opening continues a royal tradition as Her Majesty's father King George VI opened the previous HQ at Albert Embankment in July 1937. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, also attended the opening. As well as opening the building, the Royal Party were taken on a tour and shown the café, the gym, the library and the Commissioner’s critical incident room, from where senior officers can monitor major incidents.
The extensively refurbished building is also the home of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and will be the base for around 850 of the brigade’s core managerial and administrative staff. Staff based in the new building, which was once a Royal Mail sorting office, moved in earlier this month. 169 Union Street is linked with the brigade’s training centre on Southwark Bridge Road, also the site of the nearest fire station. Commissioner Ron Dobson said:
“The London Fire Brigade now has modern headquarters that matches its reputation as a forward thinking, world class fire and rescue service. I am delighted that Her Majesty The Queen was able to open our new building and look forward to welcoming her and The Duke of Edinburgh back to future brigade engagements.”
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