Hastings fire station 'downgrading' plans dropped

Early last year, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) put forward proposals to turn The Ridge Fire Station to a day-crewed station meaning firefighters would work on station during the day and respond on call from home during the evening.

But firefighters in town said this would lead to slower response times for Hastings and its surroundings during night-time cover.

An online petition was then set up by Helena Dollimore, Labour candidate for Hastings and Rye, opposing the proposals.

Since the campaign was launched a year ago, more than 2,500 people have signed the petition.

Campaigners said East Sussex Fire Authority, at its meeting on February 8, recommended the plans should now not be taken forward.

Helena said: “I am pleased that these dangerous proposals to downgrade The Ridge Fire Station have been dropped for now, and I want to thank everyone in the community who joined our campaign with local firefighters by signing the petition or attending one of my public meetings. Thanks to your support we will continue to have firefighters stationed at The Ridge day and night. But it’s disappointing that at the same meeting, a previous commitment to provide a third fire engine at Bohemia Road Fire Station has been rescinded.”

Leo Cacciatore, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) representative at Bohemia Road Fire Station, said: “We are relieved that The Ridge Fire Station has been saved for now. The proposed downgrade would have meant residents risked waiting longer to be rescued overnight and residents were rightly concerned about this.

“In recent years we have seen continuous cuts to our frontline service, including cuts to numbers of firefighters, fire engines and downgrading of fire stations. This gives us a less resilient service at times when we are seeing increased call numbers linked to pressures on the NHS and climate change. We call for investment to secure a more sustainable fire and rescue service.”

Cllr Phil Scott, Labour county councillor for the Hollington and Wishing Tree division and East Sussex Fire Authority member, said: “Thanks to the support from the public for our campaign, The Ridge Fire Station is safe.

“As an East Sussex Fire Authority member for many years, I have witnessed the gradual decline in the numbers of frontline firefighters, their equipment and vital resources. Continuing on this downward spiral is totally unacceptable to our communities and I will continue to speak up against the downgrade of our local fire service.”

The petition can be found at: www.helenadollimore.com/saveourfireservice.

An ESFRS spokesperson said: “At its meeting the Fire Authority agreed not to change the delivery model in the east of the service due to risk this will increase pressure on frontline capacity resulting in additional overtime costs that would offset any saving. This means we maintain the current provision of two immediately available fire appliances in Hastings.”