PROPOSALS to cut Tavistock Fire Station’s resources during the day have been causing concern among residents since they were announced back in June.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue proposed significant changes in order to try and save £8.4-million from its budget.

Seven money-saving options have now gone forward for a 12-week public consultation which will be open until September 20, 2019.

Within the seven options are the closures of eight fire stations and the scrapping of more than 30 fire engines across the region. Tavistock currently has two fire engines on call around the clock, which could be reduced to one during the day under one of the options proposed.

In order to gather the public’s thoughts, a drop-in consultation is being held at Tavistock Library next Monday (August 12) from 11am until 5pm.

Information regarding the latest proposals have now been published and portray the effect this will have on fire stations and communities, including Tavistock.

Tavistock Fire Station, located at Abbey Rise, currently has 17 retained firefighters who all live and work within five minutes of the station. The crews cover an area of more than 300sq kilometres including Tavistock, surrounding villages, hamlets and a large section of Dartmoor and is one of the largest fire grounds in Devon.

The proposal would mean the area covered with one fire engine — which carries five firefighters — from 8am until 6pm.

One local resident said that concerns regarding this proposal were heightened due to the fact that there are around 1,500 new homes being built or in the planning stages, which would mean a probable 3,000 people and vehicles.

People commented on Facebook saying:

l‘We need these firefighters and firehouses. Look at what happened at Princetown. One crew would not have been able to deal with that. We are lucky in Princetown that we have the co-responders too. You can’t take any of them away!’

l‘What a joke taking away your 2nd pump during the day. So you have a house fire in Tavistock and Yelverton is unavailable, now you wait 15+ minutes for a 2nd pump from Princetown or Bere Alston or 20+ minutes for a 2nd pump from Plymouth or Okehampton..... DSFRS What a DISGRACE’

l‘Thank you all for all you do for Tavistock and the surrounding areas. I will do my bit to stop the reduction in services. Seems absolutely ridiculous as another 1,000 plus houses are being built here.’

l‘I had a house fire years ago and the crew arrived within 7 minutes. Much longer, and not only my house but the one next door as well would have gone up in flames. I have been ever thankful for the prompt response of retained firemen, who were all over Tavistock when the call went out, yet still managed to arrive so quickly. With so many more houses being built in the town, it is madness to cut down the service.’

Fire Brigade Union’s secretary James Leslie said there were concerns about the time in which it would take another crew to get to a location if its crew was called away elsewhere.

‘If you call 999 we will be there but the concern is more about how long it will take. It should be ten minutes for the first appliance [engine] and 14 minutes for the next — if we extend these attendance times then the fire will be bigger by the time they get there, which also puts the firefighters at greater risk.’

If you have any concerns about the proposals to Tavistock, or other stations, visit Tavistock Library on August 12 and put your concerns forward. People can also visit the library at any time until August 12 and pick up a hard copy of the proposals and give their feedback.

To find out more go to www.dsfire.gov.uk