WITH reference to the proposed closure of Bewdley and Stourport fire stations and their replacement with a new fire station to be built, I believe, somewhere along the Stourport Road, Kidderminster.

My concern is if the new fire station is crewed by one whole-time and one retained crew, where will fire appliances come from if the one or two of the Kidderminster crews are attending one of their 900-plus incidents?

Retained fire fighters are called from their homes or places of work and are required to attend the fire station in five to six minutes. Adding travel time they may take up to 15 minutes or more to arrive at an incident in Bewdley town centre depending on traffic and weather. With the possible closure of the Stourport fire station their 300-plus incidents a year will also have to be dealt with by mainly Kidderminster crews.

There are four pumping appliances in Wyre Forest – two in Kidderminster, one in Stourport and one in Bewdley. To cut the number of fire appliances by 50 per cent to cover three towns is dangerous, not only to the residents of Bewdley and Stourport but also to the fire fighters themselves. Where will their assistance come from in the event of a breathing apparatus alarm being activated?

Paul Gittins MBE Retired Fire Officer Lyttleton Road Bewdley