Firefighters protest against proposed service cuts
BBCFirefighters protesting against proposed changes to the fire service across Oxfordshire have threatened to take industrial action.
They are opposing plans to relocate crews away from larger stations and change shift patterns, as well as the potential closure of three stations and the removal of the on-call fire engine from Oxford's Rewley Road.
Chris Wycherly, an executive council member at the Fire Brigades Union, urged members to "get ready to continue the fight" and called the situation a "direct attack on firefighters".
Oxfordshire County Council is running a public consultation on the changes until 20 January and said the views of residents and firefighters would be considered.
The proposal would see the creation of five day-shift fire engines in Wallingford, Faringdon, Witney, Bicester and Chipping Norton.
It also includes the removal of the on-call fire engine from Oxford's Rewley Road due to low staffing levels.
Rob MacDougall, the county's chief fire officer, said: "The daytime is our busiest period so what we're looking at trying to do with these proposals is move some of our wholetime resources so they can respond during the day at those five locations."
He said data showed this would result in "better response times to the whole of Oxfordshire".
No closures have been confirmed as part of the proposals, but the service had said on-call stations at Woodstock, Eynsham and Henley-on-Thames were being considered for shutdown due to "persistent low fire engine availability".
Mr Wycherly said he felt "deeply frustrated" after he met the council during the protest.
"Council leaders and senior managers have their heads in the sand," he said.
He said there was no formal dialogue with firefighters before the consultation was announced and this has had an impact on the mental health of their members.
"The proposals are not fit for purpose and they are a disgrace for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service," he said.
Despite calls by the union to pull the consultation, the council has said it will continue.
Mr Wycherly urged members of the union to "get ready to continue the fight" and called the situation a "direct attack on firefighters".
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright said: "Oxfordshire County Council is threatening further cuts that, if implemented, will put lives at risk across the county.
"The fire and rescue service and council must scrap these dangerous plans and do everything in their power to secure the investment needed from central government."
Heather Robinson, who works at Didcot fire station, was one of those at the protest.
"I'm here today to support my colleagues and also for my future," she said.
The firefighter said she was concerned changes in shift patters would not be "family friendly".
"It would make me question my future in Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service," she said.
Ms Robinson's worries were echoed by Chris Johnson, a firefighter at Rewley Road fire station, who said that the reduced number of fire engines "aren't enough to cover the ground we're talking about".
"The people of Oxfordshire are going to suffer when we inevitably can't get to their emergencies in time," he said.
He added that "more at-risk communities are going to feel this the most" and suggested assets were being moved to cover "more affluent areas".
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