Harrogate fire station’s overnight capacity looks set to be halved under new proposals.
The station, on Skipton Road, currently operates two fire engines 24 hours a day. But under plans put forward today, it would have just one appliance from 10pm to 9am when fewer incidents usually occur.
North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has suggested the move as part of a three-month consultation on proposed changes to fire and rescue services, which she launched today.
Ms Metcalfe wants to get rid of the station’s tactical response vehicle and have two emergency appliances instead. But only one emergency appliance would operate at non-peak hours overnight.
If approved, the move could result in some Harrogate firefighters facing redeployment elsewhere in the county.
Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
Ms Metcalfe’s new Risk and Resource Model 2022-2025, which sets out how the fire service would deploy its people, equipment and resource, comes against a worrying financial backdrop.
‘Struggling to buy the basics’
Three months ago the Fire Brigades Union warned North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was “struggling to buy the basics” and in need of a £25 million loan.
Ms Metcalfe, who will discuss her proposals at her monthly public accountability meeting tomorrow, said in a statement:
“The role of a fire and rescue service has changed and continues to change, with only 26% of our incidents last year relating to a fire emergency.
“We want to ensure we are addressing our current and future challenges and that we have the capacity to prevent and protect to stop incidents happening in the first place and prevent harm before it can take place, while also having the capacity to respond to emergencies when they do take place. We are confident these proposals would do that.
“Inevitably, there are some areas where the setup of the service would change but I’m confident the right people, right equipment and the right support would continue to be available to everyone.”
The proposed change in Harrogate.
Ms Metcalfe’s office said in a statement today that there was a higher demand for services during daytime hours than at night, and the proposed change in Harrogate would offer “increased ability to respond during daytime hours, as well as boost resilience more widely”.
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However, it declined to answer questions from the Stray Ferret about how many firefighters faced redeployment, saying Ms Metcalfe would address questions in tomorrow’s meeting.
Ms Metcalfe will hold 12 events in North Yorkshire to discuss the proposals, including one in Harrogate, as well as running an online questionnaire.
Chief fire officer Jon Foster said:
“The risk and resource model would support the transformation of our fire and rescue service and enable a greater focus on prevention that is underlined by our assessment of community risk. It would also facilitate increased investment in our on-call service.”
The Stray Ferret has approached the Fire Brigades Union for comment.
