Doncaster fire calls response targeted

It was announced last week that the target response times for Doncaster fire crews to attend life-threatening incidents could be axed under new proposals.

Currently the target for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue is to attend 80 per cent of house fires or road crashes in six minutes or less which could also be extended to around 10 minutes after the brigade failed to hit the mark.

Also a third risk-based option – where communities traditionally prone to more fires have one target and those with fewer blazes a different one – is also being put out to public consultation from the beginning of this week.

The brigade – which has to save £9.5m over four years – has not met its self-set six-minute target once in six years and the report to the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority said research showed response times were ‘not the main factor in preventing fire fatalities’.