A Worthy Down Project Update – The Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration

If you’ve been following DIO’s blogs, you may have seen that I blogged back in January about my role as Project Manager of the Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration, which DIO is building at Worthy Down in Hampshire.

An aerial view of work underway at the site.

The site is currently home to the Adjutant Generals’ Corps and the new college will also bring in personnel from the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and the Army’s Royal Logistics Corps. It will provide one high-quality facility for training military personnel who specialise in policing, administration and logistics and will also allow us to sell a couple of other sites.

A member of the Royal Navy Police is pictured carrying out a vehicle speed check at HMS Sultan in Gosport, Hampshire. — The new facilities will provide a tri-service training facility for military police and other specialists. [Crown Copyright/MOD2012]

With our contractors, Skanska, we’re working on 26 separate buildings, the first of which has just been completed. It’s a Respirator Testing Facility and was finished and handed over to DIO ahead of schedule.

Respirator Testing Facility

As the name suggests, the building is one where Armed Forces personnel can train in the use of their personal respirators, which are issued in the event of nuclear, biological and chemical attacks. The facility allows personnel to test the equipment and to learn and practise the drills for putting on and using the respirators. Obviously it is crucial that they are comfortable putting these masks on very quickly, and the calm confidence and familiarity necessary only comes with repetition.

A soldier wearing the General Service Respirator (GSR) at the Defence CBRN Centre, Winterbourne Gunner in Wiltshire. A soldier wearing the General Service Respirator (GSR) at the Defence CBRN Centre, Winterbourne Gunner in Wiltshire. [Crown Copyright/MOD2012] — Familiarity with respirators is crucial for military personnel. [Crown Copyright/MOD2012]

Of course, there are certain technical features which are required to keep this sort of building safe. There’s an extractor which removes the gas, for example, and it has to be sealed from the rest of the site to avoid leaks. It’s only a single storey, so it’s not a large facility, but it doesn’t need to be.

The Respirator Testing Facility, at the Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration

The 26 buildings we’re providing are a mix of technical training and classroom facilities and accommodation. We’re working hard on the rest of this phase of construction and I’m pleased with how everything’s going. The respirator facility will be the site of training which could one day prove vital for these Service personnel.

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A Worthy Down Project Update – The Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration

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