RESIDENTS in Wiltshire and Swindon will not see any significant changes to their fire service when a merger takes place with Dorset, fire chiefs have announced.

At a meeting on Tuesday of the local fire authority it was agreed the two services would merge in a bid to save several million pounds and prevent them both from going bankrupt.

It is anticipated the Government will reduce funding by 50 per cent in the coming years, and after a three-month public consultation the merger was seen as the best approach.

Wiltshire’s chief fire officer said after the meeting there would be no cuts to frontline services, but there would be changes to back office staff.

However, Simon Routh-Jones has said he is hoping to avoid redundancies.

“We will certainly have to look at our duty systems but I would hope any changes come about through natural wastage, such as people leaving voluntarily or retirement,” he said.

“Of course, we have to maintain firefighters to respond to calls but I don’t see the frontline and back office as separate entities. They are all part of creating an effective and responsive force.”

Mr Routh-Jones has said the important thing is that Wiltshire maintains a community-focused fire service, which he says the merger will allow.

He said: “We have always been a community service and that will continue. Around 60 per cent of our firefighters are retained and based directly in the community, so there is no reason for that to change.

“There will be no station closures so people will not see fire engines coming from Dorset.

“The merger will actually allow us to increase the number of home safety checks we carry out. With the transformation fund we have been given by the Government we will be able to speak with more young people about issues they will deal with in everyday life.

“Without the combination that would not have been possible.”

It is hoped the merger will be completed by April 2016.

Combining two services involves a change in legislation from central government but it is understood that will not be a problem.

It was also agreed there would be an increase in the Wiltshire fire precept so residents paid the same as people in Dorset.

The next stage will be to formalise how this is done and decide a new structure.


Related articles:


Find us on social media:

Swindon Advertiser: Follow us on Twitter  Swindon Advertiser: Like us on Facebook