Changes to Warwickshire’s fire service ‘put people and buildings at risk’, Stratford firefighters warn
FIREFIGHTERS are warning people may die, if radical changes to fire cover come into force.
In July, Warwickshire County Council cabinet gave the green light to Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (WFRS) plans to downgrade Stratford fire station from two to just one fire appliance.
The Resourcing to Risk programme will also make eight on-call firefighters, who are based at Stratford, redundant.
These changes, voted through despite strong objections, came after a review of how WFRS uses its resources, and a public consultation.
WCC cabinet’s approval of the plans included £1.75 million to fund the new operating model, which the fire service claims will provide better coverage.
The changes take the number of fire engines from 23 potentially available during the day and 21 at night, to 14 during the day and 13 at night.
On-call or ‘retained’ firefighters, who live in the community and respond to emergency calls, go through the same rigorous training as full-time fire fighters.
Some of those whose roles are expected to be axed spoke to the Herald because they are so worried about the consequences of the new operating model.
One firefighter Rob*, with many years’ experience, said: “My worry is we will lose property, and we will lose lives.
“It will take something like that for someone to reassess, which is not the way it should be.”
He cited the tragedy, which saw four Stratford and Alcester firefighters die in a warehouse fire in Atherstone-on-Stour in 2007, as a warning not to cut services.
He added: “A lot of those who’ve been in the job a long time fear we’re going to have another Atherstone, because we’re either going to lose our colleagues or members of the public.”
Another on-call firefighter, Ben*, described Resourcing to Risk as “not what it’s made out to be by senior management”.
He said: “Response times, now they’re going to get rid of retained firefighters, are going to be slower for Stratford, so if there’s a major incident in the area, a second truck coming to it won’t be based at Stratford, it will be slower because it’ll be coming from Alcester or Warwick or Leamington.
“We’re not resourced for a major incident, and I’m concerned for other members of the constituency of Stratford.”
He added: “It’s all based on data that I think is misconstrued.
“The proof will be if they have a major incident at which time, the people who made those organisational changes could have moved on and they won’t be accountable.”
Others point to the fire that broke out just before midnight at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Stratford, on 29th April, which was attended by eight fire crews and more than 100 people had to be evacuated.
Ben said: “If a major incident like that happens and a fire does take hold and you’ve got a hotel full of residents, response times will be a lot slower than they are now – how are they going to get people out of the building in time?”
A representative from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Resourcing to Risk is an operational model that seeks to best position the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service resources to make the biggest difference to the communities we serve.
“From December 2023 to March 2024, we received around 1,300 responses to a public consultation on an initial proposal, and we also listened to the views of staff, partners and representative bodies.
“The feedback was invaluable in shaping a revised proposal which was approved at Warwickshire County Council’s cabinet in July to adopt this as our new operating model. As a result, we have now entered a period of staff consultation and negotiation with the representative bodies.
“We recognise that change can be difficult, especially for those directly affected, and all staff are being offered the opportunity for an individual meeting, to enable them to ask questions and ensure they understand what this model means for them, helping them to decide their next steps.”
*Names have been changed to protect identities
We’re being treated unfairly
ON-CALL firefighters set to lose their jobs say they’re “upset” and “frustrated” at the way they’ve been treated by fire service bosses.
Senior management still haven’t given retained firefighters based in Stratford any timeline of when they will be no longer be needed because of changes to the county’s fire cover.
Although on-call firefighters can apply to for full-time roles, the take-up has not been anywhere near as high as management hoped, the Herald understands.
Retained firefighters earn about £250-£350 after tax a month, or roughly £4,000 a year for being on call for 60 hours a week.
Full-time, fully qualified firefighters can expect to earn £27,000-£30,000 a year.
On-call staff must remain within five minutes of the fire station. They said they must not drink alcohol and have to watch what and when they eat in case they’re called out on a job and have to wear breathing apparatus, as too much food could make them sick.
One on-call fire fighter, who asked not to be named, told the Herald: “I’ve adhered to all these commitments, so it feels like we’ve been kicked now they’ve said ‘actually we’re going to get rid of retained firefighters – we don’t need you any more’.”
He added: “We’ve been left in the dark and a lot of us feel like we’re being treated really badly.
“We feel demoralised, because although we’ve put so much effort in, our loyalty hasn’t been rewarded from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service.”
He added: “Every time the buzzer drops, potentially you might not be coming back.
“That’s always in the back of your mind.”
