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 can be supplied with or without tough housings, in a range of attractive, durable finishes, including MFC, plastic laminates and veneers.

Illustrated here are some of the 15 'Wiskaway' 1000 'Vertical' Wallbeds installed in the fire fighters' dormitory and officers' rooms, at the London Fire Brigade's Soho Fire Station in 1997.

This project was unusual, in that when the new Soho Fire Station was built, the architects specified wallbeds NOT supplied by GP Contracts and which proved unsatisfactory in service. The original wallbeds were of wooden construction, were extremely heavy to lift up and down and had problematic folding legs.

GP Contracts were subsequently asked to replace these wallbeds. Rather than  rip out the housings and adjacent bedding stores, it was decided to replace the wallbed, bedding locker and top-box doors, with simulated 'Light Oak' MFC doors and the wallbeds with GP Contracts' 'Wiskaway' 1000 Wallbeds.

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'^® 1000 Wallbed, at Soho Fire Station, in Central London