Some on-call fire stations 'likely' to face closure

Kent Fire & Rescue Service (KFRS) has said it might have to close some of its on-call stations in the face of "growing financial pressures".

It added that it was currently "working through the challenges and proposals with our firefighters" ahead of a 12-week public consultation in June.

Ann Millington, KFRS chief executive, said certain on-call stations, which are made up of professional part-time staff, were "becoming less viable through less demand and availability of people to crew them".

She described the changes as "necessary", but added that the safety of both the public and KFRS employees remained paramount.

In a statement on Friday, Millington said: "We'll be going out to consultation this summer to get the views of the public on proposals on some necessary changes.

"We need to keep evolving as a modern fire and rescue service to stay ahead of changing operational demands and risks, and to improve how we operate in the face of growing financial pressures.

"We're working through the challenges and proposals with our firefighters, and in late June I'll be able to talk in detail about our ideas for change when we launch a 12-week consultation," she added.

"We do know that some of our on-call stations are becoming less viable through less demand and availability of people to crew them, so some closures are likely to form part of the proposals," said Millington.

"I want to reassure everyone that any proposed changes will be based on local data and intelligence around risk, with public safety and firefighter welfare always at the forefront of our thinking."

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