There was outrage and indignation this afternoon as hundreds of people gathered in Shanklin to protest at the closure of the town’s fire station.
Almost 6,000 people out of a population of 8,000 have signed a petition calling for a delay to the closure of the fire station.
We walked amongst the many concerned residents and business owners gathering their views on the closure of the fire station.
Growth in population during holiday season
Many pointed out that the population of Shanklin increases considerably over the summer period, with over a hundred hotels full to capacity and many camping and caravan sites also bursting with holiday makers.
Not just fires we need them for
Several people voiced concerns at the loss of the Shanklin fire service for other services than just fighting fires, such as road traffic accidents and flooding. Also pointed out was the fact that it’s not just the town of Shanklin that benefits from this fire service, Arreton, Godshill, Winford etc also rely on it.
What would have happened during last week’s floods
One member of the public pointed out that had the Shanklin station been closed last week and the fire service needed in Shanklin, if Ventnor’s (reduced to) one engine fire service was busy on another call, the Sandown fire service would’ve had to pump their way through the floods in Lake before finally reaching Shanklin.
Another chap stated that Shanklin responds to more shouts than Ryde, and wondered why this hasn’t been raised before.
Hear the variety of valid points
Listen to the many other valid points being raised by the concerned residents by clicking on the play button below.
[audio:http://otw-audio.s3.amazonaws.com/shanklin-fire-station-closure-vox-pop.mp3]
