New Cinderford fire station plans approved

Plans for a new community fire station in Gloucestershire have been approved by the county council.

The new station at Cinderford, staffed by an additional 14 firefighters, is part of measures to increase fire cover in the area.

It is hoped it will improve response times, and increase the availability of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) crews in the day.

Chief Fire Officer Mark Preece said: “We want to ensure we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time to provide emergency response, community prevention and safety needs.”

The plans include the results of a public consultation which was held between 18 March and 9 June to ensure that the local community and service staff could comment on the proposals.

Staff at GFRS were also consulted on potential changes to shift patterns.

Gloucestershire County Council approved the introduction of a new day shift staff model at the community fire station, increasing the service establishment by 14 new full-time posts.

The council also approved changes to the whole-time working shifts from 9-hour days and 15-hour nights to 11-hour days and 13-hour nights for the Wholetime Community Fire Stations.

Mr Preece will review the impact of the change in whole-time shift patterns within six months of its implementation in order to understand the impact, particularly on those who share a protected characteristic and, if necessary, make reasonable adjustments.

GFRS said it wants to ensure communities are kept safe so it is reviewing how it uses its resource to meet the priorities in its Community Risk Management Plan.

Mr Preece added: “We continually assess how we best serve the communities of Gloucestershire."

Councillor Dave Norman, cabinet member with responsibility for GFRS, said: “We believe that a day-staffed fire station in Cinderford with 14 extra firefighters will ensure the fire and rescue service continues to keep our communities safe, and we would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation.”

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