11:30am Friday 2nd December 2011
The Fire Brigades Union has said it has major public safety concerns over plans to replace ten fire stations with five and the loss of more than 100 frontline firefighters in West Yorkshire.
The union was reacting to proposals put forward by West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority, which wants to implement the plans by 2017.
Part of the plans involve the removal of one of two fire engines from Silsden’s retained station. The vehicle would be shifted to Keighley station as a back-up vehicle and five of Silsden’s part-time firefighters would be made redundant.
A spokesman for the authority said nothing had changed since it announced its review in September. He said the authority still needed to deal with a budget deficit and the fact that some of its fire stations were no longer in the right places to protect the public effectively.
The authority has pointed out that Silsden is the only retained station in West Yorkshire with two fire engines and the town was classed as a very low-risk area.
Yorkshire Fire Brigade Union regional secretary Pete Smith described the recommended changes as “a bonfire of the fire service”.
“We’ll have fewer stations, fewer frontline crews and fewer appliances spread more thinly,” he said. “That means taking longer to get to 999 emergencies and with fires that means much larger and more dangerous fires when we get there.
“There will be a greater risk to life, to homes, businesses and workplaces. We’ll have a reduced chance of carrying out rescues with increased risk of much greater fire damage.”
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