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26
Nov
Deputy mayor announces new approach to overnight fire cover in Harrogate
Firefighters will operate a second engine in Harrogate on-call overnight after concerns over cuts to the number of appliances.
Jo Coles, the Labour deputy mayor for policing in York and North Yorkshire, has instructed the county’s chief fire officer to change the staffing system at the Skipton Road station to ensure crews are able to respond via a pager at night.
The Fire Brigades Union has welcomed the decision to retain a second overnight appliance — but said the move to on-call is "downgrading Harrogate's fire cover" and "dangerous".
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.
As part of the plan, which was due to be implemented in April this year, one fire engine would respond to all callouts 24 hours a day but the second would not be 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.
However, the changes proved controversial and have yet to be implemented due to extended consultation with staff and the Fire Brigades Union.
Jo Coles, deputy mayor for police, fire and crime.
Now, Ms Coles has instructed Jonathan Dyson, the chief fire officer at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, to implement a day-crewed system in Harrogate — which is similar to Malton and Selby.
It means 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. But, it will only operate during the daytime although the crew will be able to respond to emergencies overnight via a pager.
A decision notice published by the deputy mayor’s office said:
The deputy mayor for policing, fire & crime has taken the decision to instruct the chief fire officer to change the duty system of the second fire engine at Harrogate to day-crewed, enabling emergency response via a pager at night.
The chief fire officer has been asked to progress with the implementation of this option as soon as possible, after necessary engagement with the workforce and representative bodies, to avoid further delay.
The second engine at Harrogate, which is currently a tactical response vehicle, will be replaced with a standard B-type fire engine which will be capable of responding to all types of incidents.
'This is dangerous'
However, union bosses have criticised the decision saying it will still leave Harrogate with one "immediately available" engine on a night.
Paul James, chair of the North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union, 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.
The move comes as Mr Dyson previously told York and North Yorkshire councillors in October that he was confident of reaching an agreement with the Fire Brigades Union over the staffing model before the end of the year.
Unions raised concern over the original plans in Harrogate, which they warned would lead to a “second-rate emergency response service that will put lives at risk”.
Jo Coles, Labour's deputy mayor for policing, fire and crime, who replaced Ms Metcalfe and took on the former commissioner’s powers, told the Stray Ferret in July that she was prepared to meet firefighter unions over concerns at North Yorkshire’s fire service.
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