Overview
- The Fire Brigades Union says eight station closures will be put forward at the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority meeting in Salisbury on February 10, with a rally planned outside Salisbury City Hall that day.
- A 12-week public consultation is scheduled to open on February 13, with a final decision due on June 30.
- About 96 on-call firefighter roles are estimated to be at risk, as union representatives warn of weaker response capacity after roughly 750 wildfires in Dorset in 2025.
- Service leaders say they face significant financial challenges, citing costs such as an estimated £600,000 claim from the Holt Heath wildfire, and they will release full details once affected staff are informed.
- Local reports name Ramsbury, Bradford on Avon, Wilton, and Mere in Wiltshire, and Cranborne, Hamworthy, Maiden Newton, and Charmouth in Dorset, though the service has not formally published the list.