Poole | Posted on November 5th, 2024 | return to news
Callouts escalate following Poole fire engine removal
Poole’s 24-hour crewed fire service was called to 15 incidents at the end of October, five times the number predicted.
Just one week after one of Poole’s 24-hour crewed fire engines was removed the service was called to 15 incidents, which is five times the number predicted.
On Monday 21 October, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service removed Poole’s second full-time staffed fire engine, as part of a series of cuts to eight fire stations. Poole fire station provides fire cover across the south of the region and is the busiest in the county.
The station has been left reliant on the on-call workforce — who are referred to as retained, meaning firefighting is not their primary employment — resulting in increased pressure on the service.
Plans to cut the appliance were scheduled for 2025 and have been condemned by firefighters and local MP Neil Duncan-Jordan. Firefighters report that they received just over one week’s notice that these plans had been accelerated and their station would lose a fire engine this month.
Representatives of the service addressed a meeting of Poole’s retained firefighters, predicting that they would be called out to two-three incidents extra per week. However, incident data reveals that between 21 – 24 October Poole firefighters were called to 15 incidents. These included a house fire; water rescue; an attempted suicide; a road traffic collision; and a fire alarm in a high-rise tower. In addition, firefighters from Hamworthy were called out to 9 incidents.
Val Hampshire, Fire Brigade Union Executive Council member for the South West said: “The sudden removal of Poole’s second fire engine has immediately put the public and firefighters at greater risk. Slashing resources from one of the busiest fire stations in the county has already proved reckless and dangerous, pushing on-call firefighters beyond limits to respond to incidents.
“This week of chaos has made the impact of cuts all too clear. The public deserve a fire service that is equipped to keep them safe: Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service must reverse the cuts now.”
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary said: “Fire services have been stretched far too thin by austerity, with firefighters working under immense pressure to save lives and homes. We need urgent investment in the fire service. Instead, residents of Dorset and Wiltshire are facing a further downgrading in fire cover.
“Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service must put public safety before cost-cutting by bringing back the disappeared fire engines immediately.”
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service responded with a comment.
They said: “As with many public sector organisations, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service are facing significant financial challenges, and we have a programme of work in place to make sure we are sustainable for the future.
“Following a comprehensive fire cover review, we have looked at the position, the number and type of our resources to make sure these meet the changing risk profile across our Service area – we need to make sure our resources are in the right place based on community need.
“The detailed data analysis of seven on-call stations informed the decision to remove the second fire engine at Corsham, Marlborough, Sturminster Newton and Wareham fire stations. The first fire engine will remain at these stations to ensure we can be there when our communities need us. The decision has also been made to remove the second fire engine at Poole fire station, which is crewed by wholetime firefighters. “These decisions are made under the delegation of the chief fire officer. Staff were advised of this work in February 2024, the decision on the removal of these second fire engines was taken in August and staff were then advised that these changes would take effect by October 2024.
“Crews on each of the stations affected were engaged with at the beginning of the week the fire engines were due for removal and informed immediately following the removal of each vehicle, this was also communicated to local FBU officials.
“Whilst the data suggested that the removal of some fire engines is the right thing to do, and this presents essential savings to help our financial challenges, this is also a programme of work that includes some reinvestment and will enable us to improve fire cover by increasing the number of wholetime firefighter posts at Westlea fire station and upgrading Amesbury and Dorchester fire stations from on-call only to on-call and wholetime .
“Dependant on our financial settlement for 2025/26 we will review the proposal to remove the second fire engine at another three on-call stations – Sherborne. Portland and Wimborne. This review will happen in early 2025.
“We will continue to keep local union representatives engaged and informed with this work.”
Please share post:
LATEST NEWS:
CHARITY OF THE YEAR
Subscribe to the online magazine news letter
