On-call fire engine could go in shake-up
Fire service launches consultation over plans
RUNCORN could lose its on-call fire engine as part of a radical overhaul of services across Cheshire.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has launched a consultation over plans to reshape services across the county, which include replacing on-call services at Runcorn, Northwich, Winsford, and Macclesfield with full-time crews, but who would only operate during the day.
Fire chiefs say there would be no change to the number of fire engines guaranteed to be available for call-outs.
On-call crews are part-time and have other jobs, but when a call comes in must head to their local fire stations to deploy.
Full-time firefighters do not have other jobs but are stationed on site for the duration of their shift.
The current situation means that, although on-call staff are not present there all the time, they can still be called in during the night or weekends to respond to emergencies.
The new plan would leave one full-time fire crew in place at Runcorn and replace the second on-call crew with another full-time crew.
But that new crew would only work during the day and not at evenings and weekends like the on-call crew currently can.
The service insists each station would still have cover around the clock.
Firefighters at the Northwich station have launched a campaign to save their on-call service.
Andrew
Fox-Hewitt,
secretary of the Fire Brigades Union in Cheshire, said: “We are aware that the proposals are causing concern and anxiety at stations where the removal of a fire engine is proposed, and we have requested data, along with risk and task analysis from the service, to understand how these proposals will impact the community, particularly at night and weekends.
“When we have that data we will issue our response.”
The planned changes are part of the service’s Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) due to be published next April.
CRMPs are blueprints
for how fire services operate and respond to changing risks in the coming years.
Alex Waller, Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive at Cheshire Fire and Rescue, said: “Our proposals include converting four fire engines, currently crewed by part-time, on-call firefighters and not often available, to fire engines crewed by full-time firefighters and guaranteed to be available during weekday daytimes, when we are usually busiest.
“This would mean more fulltime firefighter jobs and more fire engines being available.
“These fire engines would improve response times and serve right across Cheshire.”
He said the proposals would not impact on the full-time fire engine, which would still be available as it is now.
He added: “While our proposals would mean significant improvements for Cheshire communities, we recognise that a small number of parttime staff would be impacted personally by the changes.
“We understand their concerns.
“Should the proposal be approved, we would offer them a full-time job and support them as best as we can.”
‘While our proposals would mean significant improvements for Cheshire communities, we recognise that a small number of part-time staff would be impacted personally by the changes’ Alex Waller, Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive, Cheshire Fire and Rescue