New proposals aim to enhance emergency response
Mark Garnier, Wyre Forest’s MP, today met with Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFR) chief Mark Yates. The meeting was arranged in response to the recent announcement of proposed changes to the provision of emergency services in Wyre Forest.
The announcement comes after a recent consultation across the two counties looking at efficiency savings and follows a local campaign to save Bewdley fire station from closure. As recently as the 1st October, HWFR announced that there would be no changes, including a guarantee from the HWFR chairman who said “Closing a fire station will always be a last resort for this authority.”
The new proposals come on the back of a successful bid from HWFR to the government to enhance local services, which awards a £2.38 million investment into local services.
Currently, Wyre Forest has three fire stations: Kidderminster with one full time fire engine and one on-call; Bewdley with just one on-call appliance; and Stourport, like Bewdley, with just one on-call appliance. The proposals seek to merge all three fire stations onto one central site that will also host an ambulance base, a police base, and a facility to house the important and popular local charity The Severn Area Rescue Association.
Mark Garnier said: “I am concerned that residents will see these changes as way of forcing closures to all our local fire stations by a devious method. Local campaigners in Bewdley will be dismayed at the apparent reversal of their recent success. That is why I sought to meet with Mark Yates as soon as possible.
“The fact that he travelled to London to meet with me at very short notice highlights how seriously he takes the concerns of local residents. This central grant bid was independent of the previous review of services and it seeks to enhance the facilities that protect the residents of Wyre Forest. The idea of merging the three fire stations in Wyre Forest into one major facility has been mooted for many years and from a service delivery point of view has merits. It is inevitable, however, that local residents will be concerned that emergency provision will be reduced. That is why I have explained to Mark Yates that I want to see any proposals include the current provision of one full time appliance plus three on-call appliances – in short, no reduction of current front line assets.
“We discussed the timetable and agreed that a public consultation of 12 weeks would start in the New Year and that HWFR need to fully explain how the proposals will work in practice and that response times to all parts of Wyre Forest will not be significantly altered.
“However, some of the proposals, such as co-locating a police base, will have beneficial effects when it comes to non-domestic fires that are started as a result of antisocial behaviour. It will also be able to provide a significant combination of emergency services to tackle major events such as the Lawrence Recycling fire last year, who will benefit from a local command base.
“Whilst I fully appreciate that local residents will have concerns about these changes, I believe that there is broadly merit in what is proposed. I would urge all residents to look carefully at the detailed proposals when they are published ahead of the public consultation period and engage with the process.
“Finally, I have also met with fire minster Penny Mourdant who has said that if asked, she will be available to meet with the community to discuss any concerns.”