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01
Jul
'Dangerous' crewing changes implemented at Harrogate Fire Station
Crewing changes have been implemented at Harrogate Fire Station today (July 1).
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the Skipton Road site will still operate two crews at night.
But although the first crew will be based at the station, the second crew will respond to incidents via a pager.
Having only one crew based at the station, compared to two previously, has led to concerns about longer response times.
Previous Conservative police, fire and crime commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, approved plans in 2022 to cut the number of overnight engines in Harrogate from two to one as part of her 2022 to 2025 Risk and Resource Model.
However, the controversial move was opposed by the Fire Brigades Union and later amended by Labour deputy mayor, Jo Coles.
As part of today's changes, the station's second fire engine will be upgraded from a tactical response vehicle to a standard B-type fire engine.
The current tactical response vehicle fire engine, which has a crew of three, responds to a limited range of incidents and does not attend house fires as the first fire engine.
The changes mean the second engine at the station, which will have a crew of four, will be able to respond to the same incidents as the first.
Both fire engines will be staffed by full-time crews during the day.
Ben Illsley, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service area manager, said:
This change means we will have two fully equipped fire engines based at Harrogate fire station. This change will broaden the scope of incidents the second fire engine at Harrogate can attend as well as ensuring its availability 24 hours a day.
‘Second-rate emergency response service’
Changes to the staffing systems at Harrogate have proved controversial.
When Ms Metcalfe approved plans in 2022 to cut the number of overnight engines in Harrogate from two to one, unions warned it would lead to a “second-rate emergency response service that will put lives at risk”.
The changes, which were due to be implemented in April 2024, would have seen only one fire engine available to respond to all callouts 24 hours a day because the second appliance would not have been staffed between 10pm and 9am.
At the time, Ms Metcalfe said more fires occur during daytime, and having two fire engines at Harrogate would provide better daytime protection at key times. Her plan put more emphasis on fire prevention.
Jo Coles, deputy mayor for police, fire and crime.
In November 2024, Jo Coles, Labour deputy mayor for policing in York and North Yorkshire, announced she had instructed the county’s chief fire officer to change the staffing system at the Skipton Road station to ensure crews were able to respond via a pager at night.
Paul James, chair of the North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union, told the Stray Ferret previously that the new changes would still leave Harrogate with one "immediately available" engine on a night.
He said:
Whilst the return to a proper second fire engine at Harrogate is welcomed, the FBU and its members aren't happy with the decision to continue with downgrading Harrogate's fire cover on a night to just one immediately available fire engine.
This is dangerous and will impact not only on the Harrogate public but also wider communities across North Yorkshire.
The FBU will be providing a more detailed response once we have considered the contents of the notice.
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