Ashfield fire station to revert to 24-hour operation

Ashfield Fire Station will return to 24-hour cover in November

A fire station will revert to 24-hour cover later this year.

Fire chiefs took away full-time cover from Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire, in 2018, in favour of on call-only cover at night.

The move was heavily criticised by residents and politicians at the time but the fire authority U-turned on the plans in February.

Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire Authority said the operation is expected to be in place by November.

The move will decrease call out attendance times from the station by 48 seconds on average, according to authority papers.

The required changes at Ashfield will happen "without affecting the level of fire cover provided elsewhere", fire chiefs said.

The report also said the change may lead to "a greater number of occasions" where fire engines are crewed by four firefighters - the safety minimum.

Four firefighters will also be promoted at a cost of £36,000.

The fire authority announced 24-hour cover at the station would start again back in February

Helen-Ann Smith, deputy leader of Ashfield District Council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the decision was a "victory for common sense".

She said: "We have been advised that this will cut response time in Ashfield and the surrounding area by at least a minute.

"It might not sound a lot but could be the difference in saving lives. This is excellent news."

In February, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service announced it would no longer go ahead with plans to implement budget cuts following a public consultation.

The changes, which would have saved £2m to reduce a budget deficit, would have seen West Bridgford fire station have no crew on duty at night, and both London Road and Stockhill stations losing one fire engine each.