Firefighters from Harrogate dealt with a hay stack fire shortly after midnight today.

The crew were summoned to Little Ribston, near Knaresborough, at six minutes past midnight and requested assistance from a second fire engine.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log, firefighters used one hose reel jet to dampen down the fire and set up a water relay.

About half an hour earlier, Knaresborough firefighters were called to reports of a fire on Harrogate Road, near Mother Shipton’s cave.

The incident log said:

“Crew located an unattended bonfire. They used knapsack sprayers to dampen down the surrounding area.”

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Fire crews were called to a bale and field on fire in Aldborough yesterday.

Pictures released by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue show crews tackling the blaze at 11.49am.

Fire crews from Knaresborough, Ripon, Wetherby and the water bowser from Tadcaster stopped the spread of the fire and extinguished the baler.

The fire spread from the baler to the stubble field measuring approximately 10 acres, according to the service’s fire log.

Firefighters have urged people to be vigilant during the soaring temperatures this week to prevent the spread of fires near farmland.

Firefighters tackling the field fire in Aldborough. Picture: Knaresborough Fire Station.

This includes discarding of cigarettes properly, not using disposable barbecues near crops, checking straw and hay bales which can overheat and keeping farm machinery in good working order. 

Last month, Harrogate firefighters tackled five field fires during the hottest day of the year.

Crews were called to battle blazes at Forest Lane in Harrogate and Marton-cum-Grafton among others.

Read more:

• Drone captures scale of Ripon field fire
• Harrogate firefighters battle extreme heat as five fields go up in flames

Firefighters were called to Birstwith this morning when a drying plant in a food factory went up in flames.

Crews from Ripon and Knaresborough went to Kerry Ingredients shortly before 7am this morning.

They used breathing apparatus and hose reel jets to tackle the fire.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said:

“There was damage to the drying equipment and pipework. The cause of the fire is not confirmed.”

Firefighters left the site by 9.18am.

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• Councillors have ‘major concerns’ about plans to reduce Harrogate fire engines
• Business group calls for more Harrogate town centre police

A government minister has said that funding of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue is adequate, despite concerns over cuts to its capital grant.

In a written question to the Home Office, York MP Racheal Maskell asked the government whether it had carried out an assessment of the adequacy of the service’s funding.

She also asked what the anticipated funding for the service will be over the next three years.

The question comes as ministers cut North Yorkshire’s capital grant, meaning it could have to borrow up to £31 million to cover maintenance costs.

In response, Kit Malthouse, minister of state at the Home Office, said:

“Fire and rescue services including North Yorkshire FRS have the resources they need to do their important work.

“In 2022-23, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority has a core spending power of £33.5m, an increase of £1.4m (4.5%) compared to 2021-22.

“The government is committed to ensuring that funding allocations for fire and rescue authorities are based on an up-to-date assessment of their needs and resources.”

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

The response comes as unions have raised concern over the fire service’s finances.

The cut to the service’s capital grant is worth around £8 million a year.

Steve Howley, Fire Brigades Union North Yorkshire brigade secretary, said previously that the service would be left snuggling to buy basics as a result of the cut.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Stray Ferret last week, Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, described the cut as “very unfair”.

She added that she was “working hard for additional funding” to ensure the service was not in a position outlined by the unions.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has rejected claims that proposed changes to Harrogate’s night time fire service will increase the risk to lives.

Ms Metcalfe is consulting on a three-year plan for fire services in the county in the face of severe financial pressure.

One of the proposals is to reduce the number of fire engines operating overnight at Harrogate and Scarborough fire stations from two to one.

This has been criticised by firefighters and trade unions, who fear it could cost lives.

But in her first interview with the Stray Ferret since she was elected commissioner in November, Ms Metcalfe said she disagreed with this assessment:

“From everything I’ve seen I’m confident that won’t happen. This is a genuine consultation. I would really urge everyone to engage with it.”

Ms Metcalfe’s Risk and Resource Model 2022 to 2025 Consultation, published in May, sets out how the fire service will deploy its resources over the next three years. It puts the emphasis on fire prevention, especially during the day when most fires occur.

Firefighters tackling a recent blaze in West Tanfield.

Harrogate and Scarborough currently both have an emergency fire engine and a tactical response fire engine operating 24 hours a day.

The model proposes both stations have two emergency response vehicles during the day but only one at night. They would lose their tactical response engines altogether.

Ms Metcalfe was accompanied at the interview by Dave Winspear, who is part of the senior management team at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Winspear, who is based in Ripon, said the changes would enhance the current fire service model across the county, adding:

“During the times when we know we are busiest we are providing additional resource into those two towns by bringing in a different type of fire engine.

“It improves the ability to respond to a wide range of incidents.

“We are looking to remove a fire engine in the evening when we are quiet but based on the fact that we have robust arrangements in around the Harrogate and Scarborough area from other fire stations that can respond into that area.”

He added the tactical response engine, which will be lost, had “limited response capability” compared to emergency fire engines.

Harrogate fire station

Harrogate currently employs 40 firefighters across four watches and five could be affected by the changes. Mr Winspear said they would be offered the chance to be redeployed.

Government cuts £8m a year

The new model for fire services is being drawn up against a bleak financial backdrop.

The government recently axed North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s capital grant, worth about £8m a year.

It means the service could have to borrow up to £31 million over the next five years. Steve Howley, Fire Brigades Union North Yorkshire brigade secretary, has said the service would be left struggling to buy basics.

Ms Metcalfe described the decision to cut the capital grant as “very unfair” at the time it was announced and this week told us she was “working hard for additional funding” to ensure the service didn’t end up in the position outlined by the union.

Zoe Metcalfe

Delays answering 101 and 999 calls

Ms Metcalfe, who was born in Ripon, went to school in Harrogate and now lives in Aldborough, also said she was working to reduce delays in answering 101 and 999 calls in the police control room.

Home Office figures last month showed that North Yorkshire police took on average 30 seconds to answer 999 calls — the third worst performance in the country. The calls should be answered within 10 seconds.

“Over the last couple of years there has been a huge increase in the volume of calls, especially 999 and they come first.”

The commissioner’s office has pledged £140,000 to address the issue. When will people noticed a difference?

The force control room should currently employ 146 full-time equivalent employees across communications and dispatch when it is fully staffed.

Read more:

• Fire Brigades Union ‘seriously concerned’ over cuts to Harrogate service
• Harrogate firefighter brands plans to rely on one fire engine ‘farcical’

There are currently 141. With the commissioner’s additional investment, there will be a revised target of 161.

Ms Metcalfe said a third of calls to police involved mental health issues and it was important to understand the data better and work with other organisations to tackle the issues.

She said her background as a Conservative councillor on Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council meant she was familiar with many of the agencies involved in mental health.

Asked whether she, as a senior Conservative politician, shared Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones’ lack of confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson, she said:

“I will leave that to MPs in the parliamentary party.”

You can find out more about the proposed changes and take part in the consultation here.

Harrogate firefighters rescued two dogs yesterday when they got stuck in a car on one of the hottest days of the year.

The car self-locked when the owner went into the boot and was unable to get back into the vehicle shortly after 11am.

With the temperature rising, and the dogs still in the back of the car, the owner summoned help.

The fire crew was called to the incident at Harlow Carr Gardens, Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Fore and Rescue Service’s incident log says:

“Crews cooled the vehicle with one hose reel jet, then released the dogs using a glass punch and gave water to them.”

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A Harrogate firefighter has spoken out against proposals to cut the number of overnight fire engines in the town.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Office held a roadshow in Harrogate town centre yesterday to discuss its new three-year plan for the county’s fire service.

Its proposals include reducing the number of fire engines stationed in Harrogate overnight from two to one.

The plans would also see the station lose its tactical response vehicle, which would be moved to an on-call station elsewhere in the county.

The Stray Ferret went along to yesterday’s roadshow, which was not attended by Zoe Metcalfe, the police, fire and crime commissioner.

We spoke to Harrogate resident and firefighter of 16 years, Steve Applewood, who described the plans as “ridiculous” and a matter of huge concern.

He said a large fire or a fire that puts lives at risk required two water pumps and therefore two fire engines.

Harrogate Fire Station on Skipton Road.

If only one was available at night, Harrogate firefighters would have to wait 10 minutes for a crew to arrive from Knaresborough, he added.

“A 10-minute wait at a house fire is a long time. It also doesn’t give your first breathing apparatus crew a back-up team so in 10 minutes they could have worn down their air supply but with the delay on the second unit there isn’t another crew to take over straight away.

“Or sometimes, tactically, we send two teams in two directions and we wouldn’t have that option straight away.”

Changes are ‘farcical’

Currently one emergency fire engine and a tactical response unit operate in Harrogate overnight, which Mr Appleword accepted did not guarantee two crews with breathing apparatus. But he said the driver of the tactical response unit could become another member of the breathing apparatus crew if necessary.

He said colleagues thought the proposed changes were “farcical” adding:

“I’m against most of them, I think it’s ridiculous they’re looking at cutting the cover in Harrogate by 50%. It’s a real concern for us, a 10-minute wait could be the difference between life and death.”

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• Councillors raise concern over Harrogate fire station cuts
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Currently, 10 crew members cover each shift in Harrogate and Mr Appleyard said the amount of new housing being built in the town  was an added factor to consider with any planned reduction in service.

Councillors and a firefighter’s union have raised their concerns in recent weeks.

Tom Thorp, deputy monitoring officer for the commissioner’s office, who spoke to people at yesterday’s event, told us:

“It’s been a mix [of opinions], people can see the sense in some of it and for others it’s a concern. For us it’s about explaining the proposals and getting people’s opinions.”

Staff from the commissioner’s office will be holding pop-up roadshows across the county over the next nine weeks, returning to Harrogate on July 19.

People are encouraged to complete a survey on the proposals and share their views.

Focus on preventing fires

Ms Metcalfe has previously said her proposals focus on preventing fires.

“The role of a fire and rescue service has changed and continues to change, with only 26% of our incidents last year relating to a fire emergency.

“We want to ensure we are addressing our current and future challenges and that we have the capacity to prevent and protect to stop incidents happening in the first place and prevent harm before it can take place, while also having the capacity to respond to emergencies when they do take place. We are confident these proposals would do that.

“Inevitably, there are some areas where the setup of the service would change but I’m confident the right people, right equipment and the right support would continue to be available to everyone.”

A man was rescued from the River Ure at Sharow, near Ripon, today.

Firefighters were called to the river near Lowfield Lane at 9.39am this morning.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log, water crews from Ripon, Boroughbridge, Richmond, Harrogate and Selby “responded to a report of a male partially in the river”.

The incident log adds:

“The man was brought back up the embankment by fire crews and paramedics on a spinal board, to a waiting helicopter, for transfer to hospital with hypothermic symptoms.”

No further details have been provided.

Read more:

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A former firefighter and now councillor has hit out at proposals to cut the number of night-time fire engines in Harrogate to just one.

Independent councillor Sid Hawke, who worked as a retained firefighter for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in Ripon, said the plans would “put money before lives”.

Harrogate fire station currently has two fire engines operating 24 hours a day, but this could be reduced to just one at night under the proposals out to consultation.

Last night both appliances were summoned to fires in commercial bins in Harrogate town centre — this will not be possible if the proposals go ahead.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe is asking residents for their views on the plans as part of county-wide proposals, which she said would save over £1.5 million a year – yet she insisted they are not cost-cutting measures.

Cllr Hawke, an Independent member of Harrogate Borough Council and newly-elected mayor of Ripon, said:

“You can’t put money before lives.

“It’s a big town is Harrogate. If there were two shouts at one go, what would the fire station do?

“They could call in support, but that would be from Boroughbridge, Thirsk or anywhere, and somebody could lose their life in that time.”

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Cllr Hawke left the fire service around 10 years ago and said it does not receive the financial support it needs to respond to emergencies quickly. He has called on Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative, to scrap the proposals and instead increase the number of fire engines and staff.

Cllr Hawke said: 

“I don’t care how much could be saved – there is money in budgets elsewhere to be dug into without putting lives at risk.

“I think we need more firefighters – I really do.”

Fire service ‘has changed’

The proposals are detailed within a document which sets out how the fire service will deploy staff and equipment over the next three years.

The Risk and Resource Model has been drawn up based on “extensive risk assessments” looking at the likelihood and severity of emergencies including fires, road traffic collisions and water related incidents.

The document is out to consultation until August 14 and Ms Metcalfe said it reflected a changing role for the fire service.

Ms Metcalfe, who is also a Harrogate borough councillor, said there is higher demand for services during daytime hours in Harrogate and that fire-related incidents now make up a small proportion of what the fire service does.

She said: 

“The role of a fire and rescue service has changed and continues to change, with only 26% of our incidents last year relating to a fire emergency.

“We want to ensure we are addressing our current and future challenges and that we have the capacity to prevent and protect to stop incidents happening in the first place and prevent harm before it can take place, while also having the capacity to respond to emergencies when they do take place.

“We are confident these proposals would do that.”

Two teenagers have been arrested following six deliberate bin fires in Harrogate town centre last night.

Fire crews were called to multiple blazes involving commercial bins behind retail units, which tied up the service for two hours.

Both fire engines attended — something that won’t be possible if proposed cuts to overnight services go ahead.

Crews were called at 8.17pm last night to reports of a fire on Cambridge Street in the town centre.

Firefighters said the blaze was started deliberately by youths.

The fire was put out using hose reel jets and crews left the incident with North Yorkshire Police.

A statement from Harrogate fire station on its Facebook page said:

“Both Harrogate fire appliances were tied up for two hours last night in Harrogate.

“Crews dealt with six separate large commercial bin fires at the back of retail premises which potentially could have spread to buildings.

“Police were notified and multiple arrests took place. These unnecessary fires tie up our resources taking us away from us other incidents.”

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, is currently considering plans to reduce the number of appliances at Harrogate Fire Station to one at night.

This morning, North Yorkshire Police confirmed two boys, aged 17 and 14, were arrested on suspicion of arson. They have since been released under investigation.

A statement from the force added:

“Police are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote reference number 12220090536.”

Harrogate firefighters have dealt with a spate of bin fires in Harrogate town centre this week.

On Wednesday, they responded to reports of a bin fire on Bower Street under the railway track at 8.11pm. The cause is unknown.

Read more:

• Three bins in Harrogate set alight deliberately last night
• Harrogate set to have just one fire engine at night

Crews responded to deliberate blazes on both Cambridge Street and Oxford Street on Monday evening.

The fire on Oxford Street was started in a bin close to commercial buildings.

A spokesman for Harrogate fire station said they believed the fires were deliberately started by the same people and have informed the police.