North Yorkshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has today confirmed Harrogate fire station will be reduced to one fire engine at night.
Ms Metcalfe’s decision comes after a three-month consultation that saw the proposal criticised for putting lives at risk.
The move is expected to save £180,000 in the Harrogate district, which will be used to fund fire prevention work, and could see five Harrogate firefighters redeployed to new prevention roles.
The Harrogate changes will be piloted for three years and then could be copied in Scarborough.
Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative who was elected commissioner last year, published her three-year blueprint for fire services in the county in May.
Today’s announcement will also see Huntington full-time fire station reduced to on-call, leaving North Yorkshire with just four full-time fire stations: Harrogate, Scarborough, York and Acomb.
Change is coming to Harrogate fire station, on Skipton Road.
It follows a consultation that included 12 public events, three resident focus groups and an online survey which received 1,300 responses.
Me Metcalfe said:
“Some areas of the service will change, and I know change can be unsettling, but I remain confident that the right people, with be in the right place, with the right equipment at the right time, to support everyone in North Yorkshire and York.”
“I have made these decisions to support the transformation of our fire and rescue service based on extensive evidence and from listening to what is important to you, which you said was increasing and enhancing prevention and protection work to stop incidents from happening in the first place”
How Harrogate fire service will change
Currently, Harrogate fire station has one fire engine which can respond to all emergencies and a smaller tactical response vehicle. Both operate around the clock.
The smaller vehicle will be replaced by a larger fire engine but it will only be crewed during the day.
Ms Metcalfe’s risk and resource model said more fires occur during daytime, and having two fire engines at Harrogate would provide better daytime protection at key times.
But the second Harrogate appliance won’t be staffed between 10pm and 9am, meaning greater dependence on on-call firefighters in Knaresborough when a second fire engine is required at major incidents.
Jonathan Dyson
Jonathan Dyson, chief fire officer for North Yorkshire, said Ms Metcalfe’s proposals provided the correct strategic approach to resourcing fire risk. The service has a £31.5m annual budget for core spending.
He said:
“Our strong focus on prevention and protection activities are the primary way for us to reduce risk in our communities.”
Mr Dyson told the Stray Ferret second appliances from outside Harrogate were already mobilised to tackle major fires in Harrogate because they were better equipped to do so than the tactical response vehicle.
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- Fire Brigades Union ‘seriously concerned’ over cuts to Harrogate service
But he acknowledged the change could “potentially” cause a delay when the main Harrogate fire engine attended an incident and requested back-up, which would now have to come from Knaresborough rather than Harrogate.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service does not have target response times and no calculations have been done on how long delays brought about by the changes could be.
Job talks to start with Harrogate firefighters
Asked about the impact on Harrogate firefighters, Mr Dyson said:
“We now start a phased approach to the changes because we now need to discuss and engage with the trade unions, we need to discuss and engage with the crews that are affected by this because people are at the centre of this.
“No current staff or jobs are at jeopardy in any form. We are transitioning resources from response into prevention and protection.
“There are a range of duty systems that can introduced to meet the demand that the service requires under the commissioner’s decision.”
Mr Dyson added today’s overall measures had the “potential” to save £1.5m a year across North Yorkshire by 2025 although the calculation was done before recent high inflation.
He added the decision “isn’t about cuts, it’s about transition of funding from response into prevention” and savings would also be spent on improving on call stations in rural areas.
Jonathan Dyson set to be North Yorkshire’s new chief fire officer
North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has selected her preferred candidate to be the county’s chief fire officer.
Zoe Metcalfe has chosen Jonathan Dyson for the role. Mr Dyson is currently the interim deputy chief fire officer at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Jon Foster, who is the current interim chief fire officer, will retire from the service after 38 years.
Mr Dyson started his career in South Yorkshire, where he held roles as head of training and head of service delivery.
He joined the North Yorkshire service in 2020 as director of assurance, leading and delivering organisational change, and was appointed interim deputy chief fire officer last year.
Read more:
Mr Dyson will be recommended to the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel for appointment.
Ms Metcalfe said:
“I’m delighted to choose Jonathan Dyson as my preferred candidate for the role of chief fire officer, who I believe will be excellent at leading the service into the future and continue to keep people safe and feeling safe in North Yorkshire and York.
“Having worked within our service for the past two years, and most recently as interim deputy chief fire officer, Jonathan is someone who knows our community, has the respect of his colleagues, and is committed to creating an even stronger and more sustainable service.
“I look forward to Jonathan’s suitability being approved at the upcoming Police, Fire and Crime Panel’s confirmation hearing later this month, and from there working with him to deliver a modern, inclusive, responsive, and respected organisation that protects people and property, and saves lives.”
Mr Dyson said:
“I feel truly honoured to be the preferred candidate for the role of chief fire officer and privileged to continue serving the public of North Yorkshire and York. I will build on the outstanding contribution Jon Foster has made on behalf of the Service, and I wish him the very best on his next venture.
“I want to ensure North Yorkshire remains one of the safest places in the country to live, work, or visit. My desire is to continue building an inclusive, sustainable organisation by transforming our service delivery. A key priority is to develop our partnerships, ensuring our staff, volunteers and partners feel valued and able to be their very best for our communities.”