DSA firefighters will start on site next month, as station refurb completed
The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, shared the news during a meeting of the City of Doncaster Council on Thursday
More than a dozen firefighters will begin working at Doncaster Sheffield Airport in the coming weeks, as work towards the reopening continues.
The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, shared the news during a meeting of the City of Doncaster Council on Thursday, September 24, 2026, but made no comment on the renegotiation of the lease with the Peel Group.
Mayor Jones informed the meeting that recruitment for airport fire personnel is underway with ‘the first 14 starting in October 2026’.
She said: “By next year more than 50 fire service staff are expected to be on site ready to support operations.”
The firefighters will not be South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue staff, operating solely for the airport.
The update came in response to Conservative group leader, Councillor Steve Cox, who questioned whether a £16,500 purchase of gym equipment constituted ‘essential’ spending.
Coun Cox insisted there was ‘no previous gym’ at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, which Mayor Jones refuted.
She responded: “There was actually gym equipment at the fire station previously. It was removed when the airport closed and moved to Liverpool.”
It is a ‘mandatory requirement’ for firefighters to maintain ‘operational fitness’, the Mayor said.
“The vast majority of fire stations now provide gym equipment. enabling personnel to train and stay fit on site, ready to respond at a moment’s notice to any issues on site,” she added.
It was also revealed that the airport fire station refurbishment has been completed, and fitted with female bathrooms for the first time.
Mayor Jones said: “This is something that we have installed, it’s called moving with the times and being an inclusive workplace for both men and women.”
Residents continue to wait for news over the renegotiation of the lease with the Peel Group, the airport landowner.
The successful renegotiation of the lease is a requirement for £160million in funding from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to be released.
At a SYMCA Board meeting earlier in September, Mayor Jones insisted there was news coming, which would be ‘worth waiting for’.