In the coming weeks, Hereford and Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Authority will start a consultation over proposals to rationalise the three fire stations we have in Wyre Forest into just one.
Readers will remember that we had a consultation not so long ago about proposals to reduce the amount of coverage in Wyre Forest and this was opposed at a local level in Bewdley, where they were set to possibly lose their fire station. This new consultation is not the same old one re-opened: this is about a brand new emergency centre for Wyre Forest that will locate much of our emergency services under one roof.
Currently, we have three fire stations. The main one is in Kidderminster and has one full time crew manning a fire appliance, and one retained crew (who only man the station when a call goes out) on a second appliance, as well as training facilities. Bewdley and Stourport both have one appliance each manned by retained crews. This is effective and means that in all but very extreme situations of demand, if there is fire next to either Bewdley or Stourport fire station, it will be Kidderminster's full time crew who will get to the fire quickest, whilst the retained crews deliver resilience.
The proposal is to close all three fire stations and create a new, central emergency facility for the district. This will be one of the best arrangements across the whole of the fire authority area of coverage and will house not just 4 appliances and training facilities, but it will also host space for the Severn Area Rescue Association - a volunteer organisation vital for flooding and other rescues supporting the full time authorities; a base for ambulances; a base for the Red Cross; and a base for local police operations, providing a centre for co-ordination of emergency services if needed.
This is an amazing opportunity for the district. Not only do we have a fantastic opportunity to have a state of the art emergency centre, but this will also free up sites in the centre of towns that can be used for more relevant buildings (especially in Bewdley).
But I am not insensitive enough to not realise that people will have concerns about what is being proposed. That is why it is so important to engage with the consultation process, and to learn what 21st century emergency services do.
[The consultation is due to begin on the 1st of September]