Fire service shake-up 'could put lives at risk' (From Gazette & Herald)

Fire service shake-up 'could put lives at risk'

FIREFIGHTERS have warned that lives could be put at risk in Ryedale if controversial changes to the service go ahead.

Under a proposed shake-up, full-time firefighters at Malton Fire Station would no longer automatically be on call at night.

Instead, cover would be provide by retained, part-time firefighters.

This, according to Malton firefighters, would lead to a downgrading of the service and has forced them to speak out against the proposals to the Gazette & Herald.

"Retained crew provide a vital back-up service," said Bryan Barrett, a spokesman for the Fire Brigades Union who lives in Norton. "But they are a back-up, and I think no overnight cover by whole-time firefighters in an area of Malton and Norton's population size means a downgrading of the intervention service. It's a tragedy waiting to happen."

But fire authority members have defended the move. Geoffrey Rennie, chairman of the fire authority, said: "There's no difference between the ability of retained and full-time fire fighters. They are trained to the same standard and in some parts of the county, like Helmsley, the cover is already retained."

The proposals are part of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority's draft Integrated Risk Management Plan.

Divisional officer and Ryedale group leader Danny Westmorland said the changes were intended to give firefighters more options and help to retain staff at day-crewed stations such as Malton.

And he reassured the public that there would be no reduction in response times. He said that at the moment, in order to do an overnight shift, a firefighter must live within one mile of the station.

But Mr Westmorland said this leads to firefighters sharing property, living away from their families when on duty and a large staff turnover.

"Under the proposed changes the whole-time firefighters at Malton would work five days out of nine. They would not have to provide night-time cover and therefore would not have to live within one mile of Malton station," he said.

Under the new contract, firefighters could still provide night-time cover at Malton station or any other station nearer their home, said Mr Westmorland.

However, Mr Barrett and his colleagues, who work at a Ryedale fire station but do not wish to be named, say the new contract is unappealing, and almost none of the firefighters working for the authority would take it up.

"Full-time crew with long-standing knowledge of the area will be forced to work in larger stations where they can do shift work," said Mr Barrett. "It is not a financial thing. The dual contracts just don't represent an attractive working pattern for people with families and it is a shame for the market towns to lose out on these crews."

Ryedale MP John Greenway has spoken to the firefighters. He said: "I'm very concerned if there is no whole-time fire crew on duty at night time.

''It is essential that we have them to deal with incidents like house fires.

"I'm not sure the fire authority realises the level of concern among whole-time crew. I'm worried that the market towns will lose them to the larger stations in York, Acomb, Harrogate and Scarborough."

A 12-week consultation period on the Integrated Risk Management Plan ends today and it will now go to the North Yorkshire Combined Fire Authority for consideration.

Updated: 15:12 Wednesday, February 02, 2005