Overview
- Eight largely on-call stations are proposed for closure, including Charmouth, Maiden Newton, Cranborne and Hamworthy in Dorset, and Bradford on Avon, Mere, Ramsbury and Wilton in Wiltshire.
- The public consultation is open until May 15, with in-person and online meetings scheduled in April, and the Fire & Rescue Authority set to decide on June 30.
- An Adjournment Debate led by MP Dr Brian Mathew urged ministers to step in, while Wiltshire Conservative leaders have written to the Prime Minister calling for funding flexibility.
- DWFRS modelling shows average response times in Charmouth would rise from 11:05 to 14:58 if its station closes, and reports suggest up to 100 firefighter jobs could be at risk.
- Campaigns and petitions are intensifying, with protests in Charmouth and a new Maiden Newton action group, and the FBU’s ‘Cuts Kill’ petition surpassing 13,000 signatures as campaigners challenge the service’s incident data.