Sledmere Fire Station Proposed Closure

Sledmere, Fimber, Cottam and Cowlam residents gathered at Sledmere Village Hall today, Wednesday 30th January to hear at first hand from Frank Duffield the Chief Fire Officer for Humberside Fire and Rescue Service how they could be affected by the current proposals to close Sledmere Fire Station.

 

The meeting, arranged by Driffield & Rural East Riding of Yorkshire Councillors: Symon Fraser, Barbara Hall and Felicity Temple was set up to provide the villagers with a full and accurate briefing on the proposals so that they are then better able to respond to the consultation.

 

Councillor Symon Fraser said: “Our initial talks with the Parish Councils highlighted the depth of their concerns. They are seriously worried about how the Fire Service will continue to provide effective cover for their homes and businesses. We share their great respect for the efforts of the Firemen but deep in their hearts they fear for the lives and homes of their fellow villagers.  Minutes are vital if lives are to be saved and the local Parish Councillors are dismayed with these proposals.”    

 

Councillor Barbara Hall commented, “I wonder if the Fire Service have any notion of how remote and isolated some of these villages and farms are. One of the residents’ main concerns was the reality of response times being quoted by the Fire Officers.  Have they ever tried to drive at speed from Driffield to Fimber or Cowlam? Do they have any idea about what that route is like on a foggy night?  My worry is that response times are bound to suffer and East Riding lives could be put at risk. I share the villagers concerns and worries. “

 

Councillor Felicity Temple remarked, “To us it seems frankly mad that at the same time that the Fire Service are being forced by Government to spend money on setting up a regional control centre at Wakefield that same Government are failing to give the Force the extra funds to provide vital life saving services to rural areas.  Having said that, the Fire Officers showed figures that demonstrated that Sledmere’s Fire Engine was seldom available and that for the more than 70% of the time cover is currently provided by Driffield.  We know there have been difficulties in recruiting, and this has limited the availability of Sledmere’s Engine over recent times.

 

Councillor Symon Fraser said, “We have asked The Chief Fire Officer to explain how he intends to ensure services are continued at an acceptable level. He is going to have to show the villagers how he is going to increase Driffield Fire Station’s ability to provide the service and what he is prepared to do to improve the fire prevention advice service for householders and businesses. He has to come with positive proposals to prove to the villagers that they will not be just losing another service. The Fire Chief said his plans do not include for increased capacity for Driffield Fire Station so we will be asking for further clarification on how the required cover is going to be provided by Driffield and what the Fire Service plan to do, both now and for the future, to guarantee that Driffield Fire Fighters do have the right resource to enable them to cover this massive area effectively.

 

Key issues:

Speed of emergency response.

Loss of local knowledge about the remote outlying farms.

Loss of services in general to remote rural areas.

Central Government's proposals for Regional Control Centres.

Erosion of services for areas served at present by Driffield Fire Station.

The critical need for increased capacity at Driffield.