Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority met this week to confirm the closure of Stourport and Bewdley fire stations. They will be replaced with a shared emergency service hub which the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) say will add up to two and a half minutes onto the time it takes firefighters to get to an emergency in the Wyre Forest area.
The union has threatened to take legal action as they say the fire authority failed to properly consult the public about the decision. Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s community risk management plan – which details how the service will operate up until 2020 – only consulted on the closure of Bewdley fire station and made no mention of shutting down Stourport. The FBU have called for a specific consultation on the future of Stourport fire station.
Steven Gould, secretary of the FBU in Hereford and Worcester, said: “The fire authority is setting us up to fail. The longer it takes firefighters to get to an emergency, the longer the fire has to develop. It means we have a significantly lower chance of being able to rescue a person who is trapped. This will put lives at risk.
“We will be looking at all the legal options open to us in the coming days as the FBU believe there has been a dereliction of duty by the Service and the Fire Authority by not letting the residents of Stourport have their say. They are the taxpayers paying for the service and who rely on it to keep them safe.”
The local FBU branch have issued a collective grievance to Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.
