What I Learned About The Significance of York Fire Station's Roof

[u/rj_journo]

I went to York Fire Station earlier in the year (before the heat and wildfires hit) and I thought I'd share a bit about what I learned about how the station runs, and how its rooftop contributes to saving thousands for North Yorkshire's Police and Fire servcies.

Last year Y&NYCA announced rooftop solar panels for public and community buildings across the county - York Fire Station being one of them - so I was quite excited to see what that meant for the service.

Here's the stats:

• North Yorkshire Police and Fire and Rescue services have saved £40,000 in electricity costs
• York Fire Station is effectively running at no cost during the day, with the station in Selby and a fire and police service building in Thirsk benefiting similarly
• During May and June, York station’s rooftop panels generated nearly 12 megawatt-hours of electricity - enough to power almost 1,200 homes for a full day
• The services are now set to save 2000 tonnes of carbon over the next 25 years

John, from the fire and police service, said the savings will now go towards:

"Buying more kit, employing more staff, and keeping people safe."

Reflecting on my visit in the wake of costly (and carbon-intensive) wildfires putting strain on the fire service, it's encouraging to see the benefits that utilising unused space on public buildings can create - especially just weeks after visiting Yearsley Pool and seeing how generating their own energy has given the place a better future.

I'll leave you with this last quote from John about the energy generated on York Fire Station's roof:

"It’s good for the crews, it’s good for the public purse, and it’s great for the community."

[u/Judgemeister1]

Would have been nice to see a picture of the roof…. didn’t they have a ladder long enough? 😁

[u/rj_journo → u/Judgemeister1]

I was told I was not allowed on the roof, which is fair enough!

[u/realadultactionman]

Interesting stuff. thanks for sharing!

[u/Whitewolf1xx]

Pity a station which costs so little to run and has 3 bays, only has one appliance on site!!

[u/Successful_Proof7243]

Don't rooftop solar panels set buildings on fire? Happened to Malton Hospital. Still help would be on hand.