The union representing firefighters has slammed cutbacks to the service in York.
North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe is proposing to cut all full-time firefighters at Huntington Fire Station and make it on-call only.
It is part of a shake-up of the North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service not, she says, to cut costs but “to invest in vital areas identified by the public as priorities”.
But the plans have been criticised by the Fire Brigades Union today (Thursday).
Union secretary Steve Howley said: “Cutting emergency fire cover in York will significantly increase the time in which the fire service can get the first and second fire engine to a fire or other emergency.
“The government’s own modelling shows that your chances of survival falls exponentially as attendance times increase. The people of York deserve better.”
He added: “A recent government inspection of NYFRS was critical of the fact they do not publish a response time standard.
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“Firefighters are quite frankly shocked that the service are not only still failing to declare a response time standard but proposing to increase response times further in the city of York.
“Year on year council tax goes up, yet the fire service is cut and response times to emergencies increase.
“For a service which claims to have a balanced medium-term budget this makes no sense and it’s time the public of North Yorkshire are treated better.”
The plan has already attracted criticism by Huntington councillors who have launched a petition calling for the fire service to be saved.
Ms Metcalfe is inviting people to give their views to her today (Thursday, 9 June). She will be outside Huntington Post Office & Shop on North Moor Road between 10am and 4pm to update residents and hear feedback.