By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
A union says firefighters could be put in danger by plans to move crew members from some areas in order to bring back 24-hour cover at Ashfield Fire Station.
In 2018, the fire authority decided to remove full-time crew cover from Ashfield in favour of on call-only cover at night, in a move criticised by local politicians and residents.
At a Fire Authority meeting on July 14, councillors approved plans to reinstate the 24-hour cover.
But Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said it would need 12 extra crew members to bring back the cover at a cost of £600,000.
The service said this is “not viable” due to finances.
Instead, firefighters will be moved from other stations to facilitate the plans.
But the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) raised concerns over the move, which means there will be a “greater number of occasions” where fire engines are crewed by four firefighters instead of five.
One member of the union said the plans would lead to “serious and dangerous shortfalls in the crewing of other appliances”.
As part of the plans, four firefighters will be promoted at a cost of £36,000 – but the FBU says this will remove staff from fire engines.
Chair of the fire authority Cllr Michael Payne (Lab) said that the service is facing a £1.2m deficit by the end of the year if it does not receive more Government funding.
The move will decrease call out attendance times from the station by 48 seconds on average and the plans are expected be in place by the end of November 2023.
During the meeting, Steve Tucker, Brigade Secretary at the Fire Brigade’s Union asked: “Will this authority commit to increasing the establishment by 12 to properly crew Ashfield without affecting the level of fire cover provided elsewhere?”
Cllr Payne said: “The report is honest and transparent in stating that the proposed deployment of resources acknowledges that there will be increased occasions where appliances are crewed with four personnel.
“However the approach does not mean that the service is not adopting an approach of permanently crewing with four personnel.”
He added that it would “not be prudent or appropriate” to use cash reserves.
Brendan Woodhouse, Assistant Secretary at the FBU, said: “It’s completely unacceptable to reinstate this cover, lowering ridership figures at all of the whole time stations whilst simultaneously removing four posts.
“This will lead to serious and dangerous shortfalls in the crewing of other appliances and affect firefighter safety.”
Cllr Payne said the direction of resources is for the professional judgement of the chief fire officer.
Cllr Nick Raine (Lab) said the news was “positive” for Ashfield but he raised concerns over the impacts on other areas of the county.
He added: “We’re in a situation where funding is a horrific issue.
“What worries me about this is in terms of ridership levels going from six to four regularly, I’ve got real concerns about that. I am uneasy about it.
“There are complex buildings in the city and we are going to have fewer firefighters riding here.
“That for me is a grave concern.”
Councillor Jason Zadrozny (Ind) a member of the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Authority, said last week he was “delighted” by the news.
Cllr Tom Hollis (Ind) said: “I was there in 2018 [when the original decision was made] and we know some of the awful things that have happened in the Ashfield area with a number of deaths.
“It has led to a level of fear across communities.
“The fire service has responded in a sensitive way. It has been phenomenal and it’s only happened because of the people in this room.”
