There are no current plans to close fire stations on the Isle of Wight, a service boss has said, following fears Yarmouth’s could be ‘at risk’.
Concerns had been raised by Yarmouth Town councillors, including a former mayor, that the crew could not turn out to emergencies due to a lack of firefighters.
An asset of community value
Last week the town council agreed to submit an application to the Isle of Wight council to make the fire station, on Station Road, an asset of community value.
If successful, it would put the organisation at the front of the queue to buy the site, if it were ever put up for sale.
Cowley: Station ‘at risk’
Councillor Thomas Cowley raised the matter saying the town council did not know what was going to happen with the station in the future. It ‘was at risk’, he said, as there were ‘not enough’ volunteers.
Former town mayor, Councillor Steve Cowley said there were only two members of crew so Yarmouth’s fire brigade ‘could not turn out to emergencies’.
Yarmouth and Freshwater ‘regularly working together’
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service’s assistant director of operations, Jason Avery, did not comment on Yarmouth’s crew specifically, but did say teams in the West Wight were operating on a flexible crew model.
It means Yarmouth and Freshwater are ‘regularly working together’ to ensure better availability and the most effective responses to incidents, he said.
Avery: Not looking to close any stations
Mr Avery said,
“We are not currently looking to close any stations.
“We are investing in our Island estate and have an extensive refurbishment programme in place which has already seen improvements made to all Island stations, including Yarmouth and Freshwater.”
Looking for efficient ways of working
He said discussions are ongoing with partner agencies in the West West about the availability of space for potential co-locating, to make efficient ways of working.
Mr Avery said they always look at how best they can allocate resources based on risk and they would always engage with local communities on any potential ‘significant changes’ in their area.
A new five-year safety plan is currently being developed, which sets out the risks in the area and how the fire service plans to address them.
Vacancy for an on-call firefighter
There is a vacancy for an on-call firefighter in Yarmouth — as well as at five other stations across the Island (Bembridge, Cowes, Ryde, Sandown and Ventnor) — and Mr Avery said he would encourage any interested to find out more about the role.
It can be done so on the Website.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
