The £66.4m investment will be used to replace ageing, inappropriate or poorly located buildings and facilities in Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside with state of the art stations, under the North West Fire and Rescue Service PFI project.

Cumbria will recieve 5 new stations - Carlisle East, Carlisle West (two stations), Penrith (incorporating County Council Emergency Planning Unit & Emergency Control Room) and Workington, Lancashire will get 4 new stations in Blackburn, Burnley, Chorley and Fleetwood, while Merseyside will get 7 new stations - Belle Vale, Birkenhead, Bootle/Netherton, Formby, Kirkdale (incorporating an Operational Resource Centre), Newton le Willows, Southport (including an ambulance station).