Seven fire engines to be cut across counties

Chief fire officer Jonathon Pryce said there were no real alternatives to the plans

Seven fire engines are to be cut across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

The fire authority for the two counties approved plans first set out in a resource review last December.

In a meeting at Wyre Forest District Council on Wednesday, chief fire officer Jonathon Pryce said an eight-week public consultation had shown that although some people were not comfortable with the proposals "there are no real alternatives".

The changes would lead to 45 fewer on-call firefighter posts overall but most would disappear through natural turnover, the service said.

A small number would be offered alternative roles with a "handful" being made redundant after a "full engagement process", they added.

“At the same time, 18 new wholetime firefighter roles will be created so any money saved from the reduction in vehicle and on-call costs will be reinvested," a spokesperson said.

Fire engines are being cut at Worcester, Droitwich, Wyre Forest, Redditch, Hereford, Bromyard and Leominster stations, while another engine at Wyre Forest Station will be crewed at night-time only.

"There is an acceptance we do need to change," said Mr Pryce. "The on-call system is getting harder. Carrying on as we are is not a viable option.

"Eighty-four per cent of everything we do only requires one fire engine."

In a statement on the fire service website, the chief fire officer said the seven engines being removed had low levels of average availability, primarily due to the "acute challenges" in recruiting and retaining on-call firefighters.

There would be no reduction to the first fire engines at any of the 25 fire stations, and some should have better availability as a result of the changes, he said.

Following the consultation, Malvern will keep both its fire engines, for the next two years at least.

Fire authority members agreed to hold further public consultation exercises should plans to remove either of Malvern’s fire engines return in the future.

Some councillors urged the fire authority to review the changes in the future.

Neil Bevan of the Fire Brigades Union said there was no mention in the meeting about redundancies.

As well as criticising how the public consultation was handled he said they received responses from just 0.14% of the local population

"That’s not what I’d call a robust consultation," he said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.