Specifically designed for heavy-duty contract use, GP Contracts' Fire Station (FS) range of all-steel, 'Horizontal' and 'Vertical' 'Wiskaway' Wallbeds, are fully counterbalanced and fitted with automatically opening and retracting legs, for safe, smooth and easy operation.

They come complete with tough integral housings in a range of attractive, durable finishes, including MFC, plastic laminates and veneers.

Illustrated here is the London Fire Brigade's (LFB) Stoke Newington Fire Station, one of four LFB East-End Fire Stations, in which the fire fighters' dormitory/lecture room was completely refurbished and fitted out with 'Wiskaway' Wallbeds, in 1995.

This project involved a total of 33 'Wiskaway' 7500 Wallbeds, each fitted with an integral low-energy down lighter and heavy-duty pull-cord switch.

The housings were all finished in a tough simulated 'Light Oak' MFC finish and each 'Wiskaway' Wallbed was provided with a matching, ventilated, 4-compartment bedding locker 7600, for the four watches to store their sleeping bags and pillows in.

With space becoming an increasingly precious commodity, more and more Fire and Rescue Authorities are turning to wallbeds to help make the most efficient use of their available facilities. This is especially the case with large city-centre fire stations.

By folding the wallbeds out of the way when they are not required, the space can be used for other activities during the day.

Typical areas where wallbeds are used include watchrooms/watch offices, where a bed would be in the way during the day, fire fighters' dormitories, which are often used to double as lecture rooms and/or recreation rooms (e.g. with a folding ping pong table, etc) during the day and officers' rooms, which frequently need to double as offices, or interview rooms during the day.

Even where space is not critical, the use of wallbeds may still be desirable on health and safety grounds. Thus, for instance, carrying folding beds into and out of watchrooms every night/morning can considerably increase the risk of accidents and a wallbed may therefore be the safest option, even where there is no space problem.

GP Contracts are the country's leading supplier of wallbeds and related furniture for fire stations.

Our 'Wiskaway'^® 7500 Wallbed, at Stoke Newington Fire Station, in East London