University says fire service plan a 'risk to life'

The University of Oxford has said proposed fire service changes are a "risk to life, irreplaceable heritage assets and internationally significant research activity".

The controversial changes include closing Kidlington and Oxford's Rewley Road fire stations and replacing them with a new station at an as-yet unnamed location.

The university has raised concerns about the impact on Oxford, with modelling showing some central areas may see a doubling of response times.

Oxfordshire County Council said its review aimed "to redistribute resources to match risk more effectively".

The changes would also see fire stations closed in Eynsham, Woodstock and Henley.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the proposals would "improve community safety" and "futureproof the service".

But the university said it objected to proposals that would "withdraw resources from the area of highest risk".

A letter from university said: "As custodians of many of Oxford's most iconic buildings, we cannot support proposals that would knowingly extend response times to incidents occurring on our estate."

The letter added: "While we recognise that some proposals elsewhere in the county may deliver local benefits, the cumulative effect of these changes would be a significant reduction in resilience, response capability, and firefighter safety in Oxford city."

In response, chief fire officer Rob MacDougall said: "The safety and wellbeing of everyone in Oxfordshire is important to us and our review aims to redistribute resources to match risk more effectively.

"Under our proposals, levels of prevention and protection will not be affected as our resources in Oxford will be focussed on the city, rather than having to travel further to provide response cover across the county."

The authority's consultation on the changes ends on Saturday, with a decision expected in the spring.

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