Friday, 14 June 2013

Proposed closure of Baschurch Fire Station

Email from Mike Robbins, Milford, Baschurch. 

Please pass any comments on the closure of Baschurch Fire Station to the Baschurch Parish Clerk, Mrs. Anne Howls


BASCHURCH PARISH COUNCIL

 

Clerk: Mrs Anne Howls

The Newlands ~ Crosscut Lane ~ Stanwardine-in-the-Fields ~ Baschurch ~

Shropshire ~ SY4 2DD

Telephone: 01939 260442 ~ email: ellesmerepc@supanet.com

 

9th June 2013                                                                                                                                  

 

Clerk to the Parish Council

 

Dear Parish Clerk,

 

CLOSURE OF BASCHURCH FIRE STATION

 

You may well be aware that due to stringent cutbacks by the Government, the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service are considering the closure of Baschurch Fire Station. If this action takes place, the effect regarding the area of your Parish Council will be enormous.

 

At present, the first fire engine to attend any fire or serious road accident in your area, as well as a host of other emergency situations where peoples’ lives are in danger, is the Baschurch fire engine. The time taken to arrive in your parish area is quite reasonable. With the fire station closed, any emergency requiring the attendance of the Fire and Rescue Service will require fire engines to be mobilized from Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Wem or Ellesmere. The time lag effect will be increased by many minutes, each one being crucial in a life threatening emergency.

 

Shrewsbury fire station is crewed by whole time firefighters because it is a very busy station. If the fire crews are already attending an emergency situation in their area, they will not be able to respond to any other incident. Similarly, Oswestry fire station, which is crewed by part time firefighters, is the busiest part time fire station in the county. As well as the possibility of their being unable to respond, due to them already being committed at an emergency, there is also the likelihood that, being part time, they may not have enough firefighters available to form the minimum number of crew needed to permit a fire engine to attend an emergency. In these instances, fire engines from fire stations farther away would be sent to your area, increasing again the time taken to arrive at an emergency.

 

Baschurch Parish Council is deeply concerned with the possibility of the fire station closure, and is making efforts to ensure that residents, schools and businesses in the area are aware of the situation, and asking them to voice their concerns by lobbying their District Councillor, Member of Parliament and the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.  We would wish that you also take action likewise, and also make every effort to ensure that the opinions of both your council and the general public in your council area are heard by those who are considering endangering our lives, property and livelihoods.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Anne Howls

(Clerk to the Parish Council)

 

 


 


--   Yoland Brown  Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR  ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club  www.eleventowns.co.uk  www.eleventowns.com  www.ShACC-uk.org  Tel:  01939 261 121       Fax:  01939 260626
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