PLANNING chiefs have approved proposals to improve response times by installing electronically-operated doors at a New Forest fire station.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) has been given the go-ahead to upgrade the station at Christchurch Road, Ringwood, where crews have been based since the 1970s.
HFRS sought consent to replace the doors at the front and back of the bay which houses the fire engine.
It application said: "The front doors are to be electrically operated so they can be opened at the touch of a button rather than manually by a member of the crew, limiting as far as possible the delay in being able to respond."
New Forest District Council has approved the application, saying the new doors would be quieter than the existing ones.
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