On Saturday 9th December, firefighters held a rally at Rhyl fire station, calling for the fire authority to save Rhyl and Deeside fire stations from a downgrade in service.
Rhyl and Deeside fire stations both face being closed at night under cuts to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
Following months of campaigning led by the Fire Brigades Union, the fire authority has dropped two of three proposals for cuts to North Wales. However, firefighters warn that this remaining proposal will impact firefighters’ ability to keep people and homes safe in two of the region’s busiest areas, as well as decreasing capacity across North Wales at night.
A decision on these plans will be made at the Fire Authority meeting on 18 December.
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary said:
Fire services are already severely overstretched and under-resourced. Fire authorities should be doing everything in their power to invest in their fire service.
Our fire services must be fit to face the threats of the future and the climate emergency. Instead, communities in North Wales are facing a dangerous downgrading of their protections from fire.
Firefighters and the public have fought an inspiring campaign against these cuts, opposing them every step of the way across North Wales. The fire authority must listen and save Rhyl and Deeside fire stations.”
Duncan Stewart-Ball, FBU Wales Regional Secretary said:
Our fire services must have the resources they need to keep lives and homes safe. The threat of downgrading Rhyl and Deeside fire stations presents a danger to public and firefighter safety across the whole of North Wales.
Closing these stations at night would put a huge strain on an already overstretched service. It would mean longer response times and fewer firefighters available to protect some of the busiest areas, where over 75,000 people are protected. This will impact everyone in North Wales. We will not sit back and allow this calamitous proposal to become a dangerous reality.”
