Fire stations in Berkshire at risk of closure

It has been reported that a number of fire stations in the county of Berkshire may be forced to close because of staff levels.

The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) are having trouble recruiting a sufficient quota of part-time firefighters and so a review of their operations is currently underway.

A spokeswoman for the fire service has warned that unless more retained firefighters who live within a mile of the station are found, as many as four stations could soon be closed.

She explained:

“Retained firefighters provide varying levels of cover, so in actual fact we need to recruit more than 32 people to ensure that the number of retained firefighters on our stations is sufficient to support fire cover.

“With more and more employers unable to release their staff, or self-employed people unable to turn down business for firefighting duties, especially during the day, you can see how this would impact on the availability of retained firefighters.”

The stations at Wargrave, Cookham and Pangbourne are said to be the most at risk under these proposals.

The fire service does have enough full-time staff in the county, but still requires the recruitment of at least an additional 32 part-time firefighters.