On 12 January 2026, Rolls‑Royce Submarines donated £60,000 of specialist training equipment to Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service (DFRS) as part of a new partnership to strengthen joint emergency response arrangements around the Raynesway site.
The donation funds modern breathing apparatus training complexes and purpose-built structures that provide real heat and smoke environments. The kit will be used at DFRS training centres and other locations across Derbyshire so crews — including those from Swadlincote — can practise their response to fires in large industrial buildings and other high-risk sites.
DFRS Area Manager Nathan Stevens said the project will lead to a quicker and more coordinated response when emergencies happen, noting that joint training will help safeguard lives and protect property by aligning standards across all teams.
This development comes in the context of a major recycling centre fire in May 2025, which highlighted the importance of industrial-fire preparedness in the region. Swadlincote crews — who provide mutual aid for industrial incidents in the southern part of the county — will benefit from improved access to advanced training as a result of the partnership.
Under the programme, DFRS has agreed to enrol two Rolls‑Royce colleagues in its in-house training course so they complete the same training as DFRS new recruits. Rolls‑Royce colleagues will also be granted access to DFRS’s state-of-the-art facilities to enhance operational readiness and align emergency procedures before responding to incidents alongside the public fire service.
The announcement was made by Rolls‑Royce Submarines on 12 January 2026. For more detail, see the Rolls‑Royce press release (12 Jan 2026).
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