A new welfare unit has arrived at Woking Fire Station to support firefighters during incidents.

Following the signing of an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Salvation Army. The new MOU will see the unit introduced to the service’s support for crews when dealing with large-scale incidents.

When attending call outs for an extended time, crews will be able to request support from The Salvation Army. It will then be on hand to provide welfare provisions, including food, hot drinks and handwashing facilities via catering van.

The service is committed to boosting welfare provisions available to crews when dealing with larger incidents. In the last 18 months, they have made several improvements to provisions available to teams during longer call-outs.

Jon Simpson, assistant chief fire officer for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This new MOU, alongside existing welfare arrangements, will enhance our provisions for crews and will make a real difference when responding to emergencies. I’d like to thank the Salvation Army for making this possible with the new Memorandum of Understanding.”

Adrian Clee, national emergency response officer for The Salvation Army, added: “We’re pleased to be supporting Surrey Fire and Rescue Service. By signing the Memorandum of Understanding, we’re able to provide essential provisions to firefighters when they need them the most, allowing them to continue with their emergency response.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Surrey Fire and Rescue Service to support their teams on the ground at larger and protracted incidents.”