200 firefighters' jobs under threat in drastic cuts

Due to Government spending cuts, the fire service has been told it must save 9m over the next four years.

It has already found 2.5m of savings but still has to find another 6.5m in savings, however, so has drawn up a list of seven options which will be considered by the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority at a meeting next Monday. All or none of those options – which together add up to savings of 11.56m – could be chosen by the authority, though a decision to cut the numbers of fire stations or engines would have to go to public consultation.

Representatives from the South Yorkshire branch of the Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) say that they have "sympathy" with service bosses, who have been "forced" into this position by the Government.

And although they say they are keen to avoid industrial action of the type which led to a series of strikes last year, they add they will "never agree" to changes such as the closure of fire stations or the replacement of fire engines with smaller vehicles.

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: "As a result of the Government funding cuts, we are looking right across the organisation for potential savings."

Two of the most drastic options for change are not being recommended by fire service bosses, but will be put to members of the authority.

The first involves closing up to three smaller stations, which would see a loss of 28 jobs and a saving of 1m at each station.

The second involves bringing in "close proximity crewing" which would see 66 jobs lost – a saving of 1.61m.

Night shifts at some of the quieter fire stations would be axed and staff working day shifts would be offered a payment to spend the night in a house close to their place of work in case of emergency.

The authority will also be asked to consider getting rid of the three "roving" fire engines and replacing them with "small incident units" suitable for tackling bin and grass fires; cutting 16 posts at Dearne Fire Station by merging the Technical Rescue Unit crews with ordinary firefighters; and reducing the number of control room staff at Eyre Street by a quarter.

The biggest savings could be obtained by closing three fire stations, which would save 3m, cutting crews to four firefighters which would save 2.66m or introducing self-rostering, creating a saving of 2.17m.

Graham Wilkinson from the South Yorkshire branch of the FBU said of a strike: "It may happen. But our argument is with the Government who are reneging on what they said before the election, about there being no cuts to front-line services, rather than the fire service managers and the councillors."

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is expecting to have to cut its budgets by up to 1m for each of the next four financial years and in Humberside service bosses are trying to find ways to save an expected 7m by 2015,

Concerns have been raised that York's historic buildings could be put at risk in the wake of an overhaul of emergency cover.

Fire chiefs have revealed plans for a 3.8m development scheme that includes proposals for a new station in York's city centre.

The plans would see a smaller station built at Kent Street to replace the existing Clifford Street base, which is seen as outdated but York Council's heritage champion, Coun Dave Taylor, fears that old buildings could be put at risk, claiming the Kent Street station would house only one appliance.

But Chief Fire Officer Nigel Hutchinson maintained that response rates to incidents in under five minutes would actually improve by more than six per cent under the overhaul of the city's cover.