The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) has officially opened its new £50 million Learning & Development College located outside Cookstown in County Tyrone.

The main contractor for the build, awarded in December 2021, was Newry-based Felix O'Hare & Co. Ltd, who designed and built the facility in collaboration with other firms including RPP Architects, Dornan Consulting and Semple McKillop. 

This state-of-the-art facility, a Northern Ireland Executive Flagship Programme for Government Project, was inaugurated by First Minister Michelle O'Neill, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, and Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.

Completed at the end of 2024 with support from the Northern Ireland Executive and Department of Health, the college offers immersive training environments and specialist simulation spaces designed to reflect real-life emergency scenarios.

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NIFRS Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Aidan Jennings hailed the opening as a "historic milestone," stating that the college will "revolutionise how we train and develop our people to meet the evolving needs of a modern day Fire & Rescue Service." He emphasised its role in fostering collaborative working with other emergency responders and statutory agencies, crucial for successful emergency intervention.

Phase 2 of the facility, which includes a flood water rescue facility, training warehouse, call out village, barn and slurry pit, motorway infrastructure, and an academic building, builds upon Phase 1 completed in 2019, which featured a tactical firefighting facility.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill praised the college as a "state-of-the-art facility, providing world-class training experiences for our Fire and Rescue Service," asserting that it is "no less than our brave firefighters deserve." Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly added that it will ensure firefighters "can develop the vital skills required to help those in need and to protect our communities in state-of-the-art facilities."

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt concluded that it is a "landmark investment not just in the future of our Fire & Rescue Service, but in the safety and wellbeing of every community across Northern Ireland," commending all involved in delivering the "visionary project."