Fire chiefs are planning big changes that will place dozens of jobs at risk across Brighton and Hove and the wider East Sussex area.
And it could leave Preston Circus and Roedean, in Brighton, and Hove as three of just five whole-time fire stations run by East Fire and Rescue Service. The other two would be in Eastbourne and Bohemia Road in Hastings.
Fire crews would be less likely to help rescue people from lifts – or take longer to turn out – and they could rescue fewer trapped animals such as birds caught in roof nets.
And they might be less likely to respond to fire alarms, with false alarms remaining a significant drain on time and resources.
The changes are outlined in new operating plans being considered by the East Sussex Fire Authority at a virtual meeting tomorrow (Thursday 23 April).
The fire service’s whole-time fire stations could face staffing and rostering changes.
Each currently operates what is known as a “four-watch” system, with firefighters working two day shifts followed by two night shifts then four days off duty.
Fire chiefs want to introduce a “flexible rostering duty system” with a single larger team of firefighters at each station where shifts would be allocated to reflect staffing needs at busier times.
Alternatively, the service could introduce a “group crewing” system at Preston Circus, Hove and Roedean, with Eastbourne and Bohemia Road retaining the “four-watch” system.
Either proposal, if approved, could result in the loss of five firefighter posts, with staff either redeployed or made redundant, the fire service said.
The overall package of reforms is expected to lead to the loss of between 27 and 33 firefighter posts.
Other proposed changes under the reforms would remove second fire engines from Battle, Bexhill, Crowborough, Lewes, Newhaven, Rye and Uckfield fire stations.
Each of the service’s 24 stations would have at least one fire engine. Hove has already lost a second fire engine.
But Bohemia Road fire station, in Hastings, could gain an extra fire engine.
The proposals are aimed at ensuring a more efficient use of resources and would reduce costs, according to bosses.
If a second fire engine was required at an incident, it would come from another fire station, they said.
The fire authority said: “We want to make sure we put our resources in the right place at the right time to deal with emergencies and help prevent them in the first place through engagement and regulation.
“This plan sets out how we will do this. At the heart of these plans is a robust and detailed operational response review.
“Through this process, we have assessed our community risks using a range of sophisticated analytical tools to identify where incidents such as fires or flooding might happen, when they might occur and how serious they could be.
“This allows us to target our resources, including firefighters and fire engines, most effectively, bringing about a better balance of prevention, protection and response.”
If the fire authority agrees tomorrow, the public will be consulted about the proposals, known as the service’s Integrated Risk Management Plan.
The changes affect not just the whole-time fire station but also those with day crews only. And there may be a greater reliance on on-call firefighters.
Whole-time firefighters work full-time whereas on-call firefighters respond when they are called to attend an emergency. Many have other jobs outside the fire service.
The biggest changes look likely to affect day-crewed fire stations in Battle, Bexhill, Crowborough, Lewes, Newhaven, and Uckfield.
These are currently staffed by two watches of six whole-time firefighters who cover an average of 42 daytime hours a week and stay on-call in the evening.
Under the proposals, the whole-time firefighters would work only Monday to Friday daytime, with on-call firefighters providing cover in the evenings and at weekends.
This would come alongside the introduction of new contracts for on-call (rather than full-time) firefighters aimed at enhancing their availability.
While these stations would continue to have 24/7 coverage, the fire service said, the proposals could mean slower response times to incidents at weekends.
Firefighters facing redundancy could be redeployed to a new “flexible crewing pool” which would operate across the county, the fire service said.
And the Ridge fire station in Hastings could switch from being a whole-time fire station, with Bohemia Road continuing to operate with whole-time crews round the clock.
If the fire authority agrees, the public consultation will start on Friday (24 April) and last for eight weeks.
The fire authority is expected to discuss the consultation results in September and agree any changes then.
Earlier this year the fire authority was criticised for taking a key decision about control room changes in secret.
Staff said that they were disgusted to have been thrown out of the meeting where a crucial decision about public safety ended up being made behind closed doors.
