Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service will hold 2 public meetings this week to discuss proposed fire service changes, including the possible closure stations in Bembridge and Yarmouth.
Residents can attend the engagement events being held this Thursday – at Bembridge Village Hall and the Community Hall of Yarmouth and District – as part of the Service’s ongoing consultation.
HIWFRS is proposing 3 major changes: combining the Yarmouth and Freshwater fire stations, permanently ceasing its operational response from Bembridge fire station and removing an Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) vehicle from the Island.
The combination of the Yarmouth and Freshwater stations is said to allow HIWFRS to ‘maintain high levels of performance’ and ensure 2 fire engines are operated in the West Wight, consolidating staff and vehicles from both facilities.
Following a 15-month pilot, HIWFRS says permanently relocating the Yarmouth crew and fire engine to Freshwater represents a ‘cost-saving of £108,000 annually’.
The proposed closure of Bembridge fire station would allow annual savings of £135,000 – HIWFRS says Bembridge experiences a ‘low number of incidents, averaging only 35 per year over the last 5 years’.
Reducing the number of ALP vehicles across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from 5 to 4 – on the Island going from 2 to 1 – would save around ‘£1 million on the cost of the replacement of an ALP’. HIWFRS says its data analysis shows only 1 ALP needs to be maintained on the Island.
Neil Odin, chief fire officer at HIWFRS, has said:
“We publish a safety plan every five years and we’ve recently redone our safety plan and looked carefully at the data on how our fire engines and fire stations are used.
“The Isle of Wight, specifically, has shown that we’ve got some places that we don’t require anymore – we can use that public money much better.
“So, the focus of this change is making sure that the public money is spent well, whilst providing the best support and protection for our communities.”
The Bembridge Village Hall event will run between 10:30 and 12:30 and the Community Hall of Yarmouth and District session will be from 15:30 to 17:30.
HIWFRS’s consultation closes on 29th July – the online survey can be found at https://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/community/engagement-hub/iow-consultation/.
As a Fire Fighter at the Bembridge station back in the 1960s we attended many different incidents and when required we supported Sandon and Ryde. All of us were very proud to serve the Bembridge people and I am very sad that this great station will close. Why are the people of Bembridge letting this happen. If you are unlucky enough to have a house fire, maybe with family trapped, are you willing to wait for a fire appliance to come from Sandown and Ryde? Or would you prefer to have a Fire and Rescue team at your home within minutes. I rest my case.