Warwickshire Fire Service proposals 'fraught with problems'

New working patterns needed to be introduced, said the fire service

Proposed changes to staffing levels and the working patterns of firefighters would leave areas of a county "very vulnerable", a parish council has said.

The Warwickshire service said it wanted to reconfigure its staffing model in line with need and the dropping availability of on-call firefighters.

The resources it had available did not match with current activity levels, it said.

But those opposed to the changes said they were "fraught with problems".

Warwickshire County Council, which administers Warwickshire Fire and Rescue (WFRS), said under the plans staffing levels would increase during the day, "when activity levels are the highest".

Councillors have approved the start of a consultation on the service's "Resourcing to Risk" proposals.

Under the proposals, Bidford-on-Avon would lose its on-call fire officers

Bases which relied upon on-call staff at Bidford-on-Avon; Henley; Kenilworth; Shipston-on-Stour; Fenny Compton; and Polesworth would be turned into "surge" stations, it said.

The council's report describes these as teams which would be "available for recall in the event of significant incidents or periods of high demand".

The recruitment and availability of on-call officers had been falling since 2019, it said, which was a challenge for them and other services.

The council is not ruling out redundancies under the plans but the model does not include plans to close any current fire station.

Among groups to highlight concerns about the move, Bidford Parish Council spoke about the area's flooding problems and the need by crews to respond to road collisions.

Clerk Elisabeth Uggerlose said the proposals would leave their village, and others "vulnerable".

"How can you ensure villages in the south of the county will be safe after 10pm when the only cover for the whole of the district will be one appliance based in Stratford?," she said.

Conservative councillor for Bidford West, Bill Flemming, explained their on-call firefighters would be made redundant under the plans, with some made to reapply for jobs at the force.

"By my estimation about 100 people are going to lose their jobs," he said, adding the proposals were "fraught with problems".

Jill Machado, from the group Bidford 36 Say No To Any Changes, added the plans "decrease cover so much that it becomes unsafe".

"We've said they need to go back to the drawing board and think again."

'Changing demands'

A spokesperson for the county council said changing demands had led them to consider a new model.

"Currently, there are more fire appliances and resources available at night when activity levels are lowest, and fewer fire appliances and resources available in the day when activity levels are the highest," they said.

They said they would be taking feedback on the proposals through a public consultation, which will be launched this month and remain open until March 2024.

A Bidford Parish Council meeting, open to the public, is set to be held on Monday evening attended by Warwickshire County Council leader Izzi Seccombe as well as the chief fire officer Ben Brook.