Suspend fire consultation, union demands

Warwickshire chief fire officer Ben Brook says the plans will see high-risk areas served more effectively

A firefighters' union has called for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service to suspend proposals to reallocate its resources.

The changes could see some areas lose an on-call engine and seven become "surge" stations, meaning they would only be staffed during major incidents.

The service says its plans, which are subject to an ongoing consultation, will put crews in the "right place at the right time".

But, the Fire & Rescue Services Association (FRSA) said recent floods and a hospital fire in Rugby "undermined" the proposals.

Warwickshire residents turned to the fire service for assistance during floods earlier this month

The consultation on the plans, which have also been criticised by local councillors and community action groups, continues until 10 March.

It said "just three engines [were] available to cover the whole of Warwickshire", after five appliances were called to a night blaze at the Hospital of St Cross on 4 January.

Also pointing to "82 emergency calls for assistance" during recent flooding in the county, the FRSA's chief executive Tristan Ashby said: "It is clear that the proposed model simply will not work.

"There would be no shame in saying, ‘In the light of changed circumstances we are suspending the consultation while we review the situation’."

However, Warwickshire's chief fire officer Ben Brook said he "fundamentally believed" the proposals could work.

'We will listen'

"This is very much about putting our resources in the right place at the right time," he said.

"People are waiting a long time for a fire engine right now. What we’re trying to do is make sure there is a guaranteed level of fire cover across Warwickshire.

"[The plans] are being trialled and tested in other parts of the county so there are other fire and rescue services doing very similar things to us," he said.

"We’re absolutely open to what the proposal could and should look and feel like. We will listen, and we will change and amend the proposals based on evidence and people’s suggestions."

The proposed changes could see surge teams placed in Polesworth, Bidford-on-Avon, Henley-in-Arden, Gaydon, Fenny Compton and Shipston-on-Stour.

On-call teams would be removed from locations including Coleshill, Atherstone, Stratford-upon-Avon and Kenilworth.