THE recently opened Kinver Community Fire Station will be under threat of closure if Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Services’ New Delivery Model is carried through.

A consultation period on the new model – which proposes to reduce the number of fire stations across the county from 33 to 15 – closed last Friday (May 22).

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Authority are now in the process of analysing the results of the consultation which will be considered at a meeting on July 13 2015.

A document published by the service states: “Using specialist software, the indicated “best fit” for a response base of fifteen stations is: Burslem, Cannock, Cheadle, Leek, Lichfield, Longton, Needwood, Newcastle, Penkridge, Rising Brook, Sandyford, Tamworth, Trent, Uttoxeter and Wombourne.

“The current mix of whole-time and retained appliances would be replaced by all appliances being crewed 24/7 by whole-time staff on annualised hours.

“The impact of this option would be that the number of retained firefighters would reduce from 499 to 0 and the number of whole-time firefighters would increase from 300 to 390.”

Chief Fire Officer Peter Dartford said: “The new delivery model would present a complete change in strategic direction for the service as this would compromise the way we currently focus on community engagement and safety, which is the bedrock to all of the work we undertake.

“Nevertheless the Fire and Rescue Authority felt it was important for us to explore a range of options, however radical they may be, to be confident no stone has been left unturned as we strive to identify ways to make financial savings.

“The new delivery model option is to have 15 fire stations providing 24/7 cover rather than having the mix of whole-time and retained stations that we have now. Firefighters would focus predominantly on responding to incidents as there would not be the capacity for them to also carry out the community safety work that they currently do.

“Using specialist software the 15 fire stations have been identified to be in the best locations to cover the whole county. Should this option be progressed the stations not included, that have community facilities, would remain open for residents and our partners, however the emergency response would be removed from the building.

“The new delivery model is just one of a number of proposals we are consulting on. If the feedback from members of the public was that this option was one they wanted to pursue, the Fire and Rescue Authority would need to do much more in depth research.

“A further consultation exercise would then have to be carried out across the whole Service, as this proposal would affect all stations.”

Kinver’s new £1.9 million station – which only opened in February – is not one of the 15 stations listed and would therefore have its emergency response removed.

Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, has condemned the proposals and has urged the Chief Fire Officer to assure him that the proposals will not be pursued any further.

Mr Williamson said: “I entirely oppose what is being put forward for the closure of Kinver, Codsall and Brewood fire stations and I urge you to reject this proposal for the safety of my constituents and on the grounds of the complete waste to the public purse with two of the fire stations in the process of being built.

“It is vital that constituents can rely on a fire service 24/7, especially in the more rural areas of the constituency.

“I have called on the Chief Fire Officer to reject these proposals look forward to hearing that these ridiculous ideas have been thrown out.”

The full New Delivery Model document can be viewed by visiting www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk/Documents/CSO_New_Response_Model.pdf