Deadline looms for you to have your say on axing of appliance at Halifax fire station

The deadline for people to have their say on plans that would see Halifax fire station lose one of its appliances under proposals by the West West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is looming.
Halifax fire stationHalifax fire station
Halifax fire station

The deadline for people to have their say on plans that would see Halifax fire station lose one of its appliances under proposals by the West West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is looming.

There’s two weeks remaining to have your say on a public consultation on two suggestions from the Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) relating to organisational change.

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The IRMP looks at the levels of risk across West Yorkshire and puts forward suggestions to make the most of resources, and allocate them where they are needed.

Currently there are plans to reduce the number of the service’s “aerial appliances” – engines with large, cherry picker style attachments to deal with fire from above, from five to four.

The appliance currently based at Halifax will not be replaced in 2023, although appliances in Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Leeds will remain.

The service’s resilience fleet – a fleet of fully equipped fire engine that is available to be used at short notice, will be reduced from 11 to just 5. And there will also be a change in shift patterns at South Kirkby, Normanton and Castleford fire stations.

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Assistant Chief Fire Officer Nick Smith said: “The consultation, which closes on Friday 29th November will gauge public reaction to these ideas, which will be taken into account when West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority decides to approve or reject the proposals going forward.

“We’ve had a great response to the questionnaire with over 300 people getting in touch to let us know their views.

“But there’s still time to let us know what you think- and we want to hear from as many people as possible! In particular if you live in the Normanton, Castleford, South Kirby and Halifax areas where the changes are suggested we’d really love to hear from you.

“There’s a variety of ways to get in touch with us so if you haven’t then please do before the deadline at the end of this month.”

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He added aerial appliances were needed 100 times last year, and the service could cope with the reduction from five to four, although response times where aerial appliances are needed may increase in rural areas of Calderdale.

Increasing the capacity in the Fire Protection Team, which is responsible for making sure businesses and public venues are safe from fire, is also one of a series of changes that West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has proposed in a shake up of local services.