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16
Jan 2024
Union blames mismanagement for decision to axe Harrogate firefighters
The Fire Brigades Union has blamed mismanagement for the decision to axe four Harrogate firefighters this year.
The move, which will save £210,000 annually, is due to be implemented in April as part of plans to decrease the number of overnight fire engines based in Harrogate from two to one.
The Stray Ferret has covered this story extensively since Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, announced changes to how fire services are deployed in her Risk and Resource Model 2022 to 2025 two years ago.
Paul James, chair of the North Yorkshire branch of the union, said it continued to oppose the cuts and was due to meet management soon to discuss the situation in Harrogate. Similar cuts are due to take place in Scarborough next year.
Mr James said:
Damian Henderson, director of service improvement and assurance at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, told a meeting in November that the availability of firefighters had decreased by 4% among full-time crew and by 12% among on-call crew while the number of incidents was increasing.
Mr James said this had heightened concerns about response times. He added the union did not accept the commissioner's shift in emphasis towards greater fire prevention justified reducing nighttime cover. He said:
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