Warning over future of rural Shropshire fire stations
The loss of four retained fire stations across Shropshire would have a knock-on effect on the whole of the county and could mean the difference between life and death, it was claimed last night.
A plea for people county-wide to lobby their MPs over cuts to the Shropshire Fire and Rescue budget was made by a county fire station manager.
Brian Welti, from Baschurch fire station, spoke at two meetings, saying that just a small tweak to the Government's funding formula would prevent the front line cuts.
He warned that if the retained fire station at Baschurch closed it would add at least 13 minutes to the time a fire engine could get to the village and neighbouring areas.
And he warned that minutes were vital.
"Fires won't wait and neither will road accidents," he said.
"Minutes really can mean the difference between life and death."
Mr Welti, speaking at first the Five Perry Parishes local joint committee and then later at a meeting of representatives of parish councils in the Baschurch fire station area, said the threat was to the whole of Shropshire.
Baschurch, Hodnet, Prees and Clun fire stations have been suggested for closure together with one whole-time engine lost from either Shrewsbury or Telford.
He warned: "Once a retained station is closed it will never be reopened."
"Our worry is for the whole of Shropshire. There is good reason why the fire stations are where they are in the county; they are strategically placed and the system works. Making these front line cuts will impact not just on those areas where the stations are lost, but on the whole of the county.
"In Baschurch we are often the second pump to attend at several adjoining areas to us. We can be sent to the Wem, Ellesmere, Oswestry and Shrewsbury areas.
"The problem is no longer with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service but with government. It is the national funding formula that was changed in 2011 that is the problem and we want the MPs to lobby government to change that formula. It would only need a small tweak to prevent the cuts."
Mr Welti said that the funding formula was based on numbers employed and unemployed and did not take into account the rurality of the area or economies of scale.
He said all four threatened stations were putting together their impact statements that had to reach the brigade by July 19.
