Fire Brigades Union warns on station closures in Dorset and Wiltshire
Iain Hoey
Share this content
Station closures proposals name eight sites
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has informed firefighters of proposals to close eight fire stations across the service area.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said the proposals were shared on 23 January and warned they would put lives at risk by reducing emergency cover across Dorset and Wiltshire.
The eight stations facing potential closure are Ramsbury, Bradford on Avon, Wilton, Mere, Cranborne, Hamworthy, Maiden Newton and Charmouth.
The fire authority is scheduled to meet on 10 February to decide whether to progress the proposals to a 13-week public consultation.
Union response and operational concerns
The FBU said closing fire stations would leave communities without adequate protection from fires, flooding and other life-threatening emergencies.
Barney Hedgecock, FBU fairness at work representative for Dorset and Wiltshire, said: “Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue service is already severely overstretched and under-resourced.
“The raging Holt Health wildfire this summer should have been a stark warning that the service needs urgent investment to face increasing extreme weather events.
“Firefighters work tirelessly to keep communities safe, but the reality is that cuts and station closures put lives at greater risk.
“Fewer firefighters and fire engines available will mean slower response times to emergencies, at times when every second counts.
“The FBU is calling on the fire authority to reject these disastrous proposals.
“The council and fire service leaders must put public safety first and stop these cuts.”
Wider industrial context
The FBU said it is placing members on an industrial footing to defend services against cuts across the UK.
It said firefighters in Oxfordshire are moving towards industrial action in response to proposed cuts by the county council, and that cuts have been averted in Avon and Leicestershire following union campaigns.
Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: “Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is facing a devastating loss of resources, with senior leaders threatening to close eight fire stations.
“We need a fire and rescue service that is fit to face the future.
“Closing fire stations and running the service ragged will only leave communities at greater risk.
“Instead we need investment to rebuild resilience.
“The FBU is ready to fight to prevent dangerous cuts up and down the country, and firefighters have been successful in stopping them in several brigades.
“Firefighters are making it clear that we won’t stand by while cuts cost lives.
“Dorset and Wiltshire fire authority and fire service must do everything in their power to secure the funding desperately needed to rebuild the service.”
The fire authority will determine next steps following its meeting on 10 February.