Portland News
October 19, 2026
Portland Consulting Engineers (Portland) is supporting the delivery of a major new emergency services training facility in Washington, as construction gets underway on Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service’s (TWFRS) new All Hazards Village.
Designed to provide a highly realistic environment for firefighter and emergency service training, the new facility will recreate a range of residential, commercial and other built environments, allowing crews to develop and test their skills in safe and controlled surroundings.
The project represents a significant investment in firefighter training and operational readiness, helping TWFRS and its emergency service partners prepare for the increasingly complex range of incidents they may face across the region.
Our role includes supporting the design and development of the facility’s civil and structural elements, helping to create a robust and practical training environment capable of meeting the specialist requirements of a modern emergency services facility.
The village will incorporate a range of realistic training environments, including a detached four-bedroom burn house and semi-detached properties featuring simulated hazard areas such as shops, garages, kitchens, living spaces and bedrooms.
These environments are designed to replicate real-world conditions, giving crews the opportunity to train for challenging scenarios while maintaining a safe and controlled setting.
Portland’s Managing Director commented; “This is a particularly interesting project for Portland because of the specialist requirements involved in creating realistic training environments for emergency services. It has been great to work collaboratively with the wider project team and apply our civil and structural engineering expertise to a facility that will have a lasting benefit for firefighter training and operational preparedness
The project brings together a specialist team, with Portland working alongside Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, Meldrum Group, Identity Consult, Lumsdon Wood Partnership, Napper Architects and neeco limited.
Close collaboration across the design and construction team is particularly important on a project of this nature, ensuring that the engineering solutions support both the physical requirements of the facility and its specialist training purpose.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dave Preston said; “the All Hazards Village forms an important part of TWFRS’s long-term plans to provide crews with modern and realistic training facilities, helping them maintain their competence and respond safely to an increasingly complex range of emergencies”..
Once complete, the facility will provide TWFRS and its emergency service partners with a valuable resource for realistic, scenario-based training and operational preparedness for years to come.