There are just a few days left for people to comment on controversial plans to cut the number of night-time fire engines in Harrogate to just one.
This Sunday is the final day of a three-month consultation on the proposals from the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The county’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe is running an online survey on the plans which she said would “continue to provide an immediate emergency response” during the night when emergencies are less likely to occur.
She has also insisted the proposals are not cost-cutting measures as the fire service already has a balanced budget.
Yet union officials and councillors have raised concerns over the plans which have been described as “seriously concerning” and “putting money before lives”.
Read more:
- Fire Brigades Union ‘seriously concerned’ over cuts to Harrogate service
- Harrogate firefighter brands plans to rely on one fire engine ‘farcical’
- Harrogate fire station changes won’t increase risk to life, says commissioner
Steve Howley, secretary at the North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union, said the proposed move would leave the area with a “second-rate emergency response service that will put lives at risk” as he also urged commissioner Metcalfe to fight for more funding from the government.
The proposals are included in the fire service’s new risk and resource model which sets out how it will deploy staff and equipment over the next three years.
There are similar proposals for fire stations in Scarborough and Huntington which commissioner Metcalfe said along with the Harrogate plans would save over £1.5 million a year to allow for investment in fire prevention.
She added the proposals are based on an “extensive risk assessment” which has identified the likelihood of fires, road traffic collisions and other emergencies.
Commissioner Metcalfe said:
“The assessment shows that in our area, the risk of having a fire in your home is generally low, with pockets of higher risk in some of our urban areas and also in the south-east of the service area.
“In fact, other emergencies, such as collisions on our roads or rescues from water during storms and floods, make up a larger proportion of what our service responds to.
“Based on this evidence, your fire and rescue service has put forward proposals that it feels will ensure it has the right people with the right equipment in the right place at the right time to reduce the risk of harm in our communities.
“Before I make my decision on whether to implement them, I want to know what you, the people of North Yorkshire and York, think of them.”
To have your say go to www.TellCommissionerZoe.co.uk.
