Hereford and Worcester Fire service could make frontline cuts
Jonathon Pryce, chief fire officer told Worcestershire County Council that the finances don't look good
Frontline services will be affected if the fire service continues to be underfunded, Worcestershire’s fire chief has warned.
Jonathon Pryce, chief fire officer at Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said £1.2 million worth of cuts were made last year “without affecting frontline services”.
But funding for the service is set to be at least £1.2m short again this year, he told a full meeting of Worcestershire County Council on Thursday (January 15).
“The finances do not look good,” said Mr Pryce, who received a King’s Fire Service Medal for his service last year. “Some frontline services may have to change in the next year or two.”
Droitwich councillor Dan Birch, who is also a fire service volunteer, said there are “remedial works” needed at fire stations including doors that won’t open and gates that need fixing.
He also said firefighters have stopped doing as many community visits.
Mr Pryce said the service has no capital budget with which to fix its 26 buildings and that doors not opening properly were “low priority matters”.
He added that the majority of buildings were modern and in good condition.
The fire chief said whether to attend community events was a balance act, and that if a crew is attending a fete, that meant it was not putting up smoke detectors in elderly people’s homes.
“I generally encourage stations to hold an open day each year, but I have to run an efficient service,” he said.
Mr Pryce said Hereford and Worcester is one of the most “hard done by” fire services in
England in terms of funding, because of the two counties’ lower than average population growth.
He agreed with Cllr Seb James that the service shouldn’t have to beg the Government for more money.
Cllr Roger Bennett asked about the 160 percent increase in outdoor fires seen in Worcestershire in the past 12 months.
Mr Pryce said the county is a very safe place to live in terms of house fires, but saw a “significant increase” in outdoor fires over the summer.
“We dealt with it very well this year,” he added.
He said the causes of outdoor fires when fields are “tinder dry” are varied, saying a large fire in Bromsgrove was started when a bird flew into a power line and caught fire.