Six North Yorkshire fire stations in line for fresh cuts

Bosses now want public views on changes that would affect operations at Harrogate, Scarborough, Malton, Northallerton, Ripon and Tadcaster fire stations.

As part of a review into the “cost effectiveness” of the service, fire chiefs propose to replace a fire engine based at Harrogate with a smaller tactical response vehicle manned by fewer officers.

The same is proposed as one of two options at Scarborough fire station. The alternative is for a shift fire engine to be replaced by one manned for nine hours a day, outside of which staff would be on-call from home or elsewhere.

At the four other stations, the proposals are to replace a day crewed fire engine with a tactical response vehicle operated by fewer staff, or to replace a day crewed fire engine with one manned by a mix of day crew and on-call staff.

Owen Hayward, area manager at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We would really like to hear from local residents, business groups and our staff to gather their views on these proposals.”

Public drop-in events will be held in the towns where changes are proposed as well as in Richmond, Skipton, Whitby and York. Details will be posted online.

The proposals have been prompted by a fall in the number and seriousness of incidents attended by the fire service over the last ten years.

Pete Smith, regional secretary of the Fire Brigades Union for Yorkshire and the Humber, urged the public to have their say. He said: “What people have got to realise is that however North Yorkshire management dress this up it’s still a worsening of their fire service and what they pay their taxes for. Ultimately it will be detrimental to public safety and firefighters’ safety.”