No drop quality of fire service

It comes after concerns were raised in the face of the recently approved £4.1million cuts to the fire service, which would see engines at Tadley and Kingsclere stations replaced with mobile vans manned by two firefighters.

As previously reported in the Gazette, Tadley town councillors had raised concerns that the cut in man power and lack of fire engines in the town would reduce the quality of the service. 

However, chief officer at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Dave Curry said that people’s safety is still at the forefront of the commitment of firefighters across the county.

He said: “We will be introducing new capabilities throughout the county to ensure that out firefighters are fully equipped to deliver the best possible service to our communities. 

“We will now embark on three years of implementation as we create a smarter, more efficient and more effective service for the residents of Hampshire.” 

The plans, which will be rolled out from April, will affect frontline services provided by 51 stations across the county. 

The plan for the Kingsclere station, in George Street, and the Tadley station in Franklin Avenue is that replacing the engine units with vans will result in faster response times to incidents.

With Tadley having a population of more than 17,000 people and Kingsclere more than 12,000 there are concerns that any major incidents would not be effectively attended. 

Despite the concerns Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council believesTadley and Kingsclere will see a more efficient dynamic service rather than it being diminished. 

Chairman of the Fire Authority, Chris Carter, said the service will continue to serve the community to the best of its ability and the response during public consultation will help shape the changes. 

He said: “We now move forward, accepting these final proposals which we believe will build on the successes of the past to deliver new and improved capabilities for the future.”