Councillors representing Okehampton have welcomed the news that Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is postponing a decision on fire service cuts aimed at saving £8.4-million over three years.

The fire service authority is to postpone making a decision on the plans until December 18 to allow more time to assess responses from members of the public.

West Devon mayor Tony Leech, who is borough councillor for Okehampton north ward as well as a town councillor, welcomed the move.

‘I am happy that the fire service is going to look seriously at the responses from the general public and I hope that they come to a common sense decision on how to go forward,’ he said. 

‘As I originally said in my response to the fire authority’s consultation, Okehampton is a fast growing community that is close to Dartmoor and the A30. Dartmoor has often been known to catch fire, and this is always during the daylight hours. 

‘There seems to have been more serious accidents on the A30 this year, and I believe most of these have been during the day, so the removal of one of the pumps during the day has to put at risk the attendance times for the fire brigade.’

His concerns are shared by Okehampton town mayor Julie Yelland, who said: ‘I welcome the news that the fire station has delayed its decision until December to enable a thorough analysis of the results of the consultation. I appreciate that these are uncertain times for the staff. However it is vital that the impact of any potential changes are very carefully considered.

‘The service provided in Okehampton includes the A30 and northern Dartmoor and we, as a community, really do need the reassurance of knowing that there is proper cover available in the event of a major incident which can occur at any time in a 24-hour period.’

The consultation on the fire service plans was held over the summer, with responses invited in writing and online. It duly received 3,300 online responses, 700 letters and five petitions from the public in a 12-week consultation on its plans to modernise the service to save £8.4-million from its budget.

They were responding to a number of options on the table. The most draconian option suggests closing eight fire stations and partly grounding or completely removing 30 fire engines across the two counties.

In West Devon people are alarmed at the proposal to ground one fire appliance during the day in both Okehampton and Tavistock — at the moment both towns have two fire engines on call around the clock.

One of five petitions against the proposals came from the Devon branch of the Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU) which collected a total of 43,350 signatures from firefighters and members of the public.

James Leslie, Devon and Somerset brigade secretary, said: ‘Devon and Somerset firefighters are furious with these proposals. The plans would undeniably compromise public safety across both counties.

‘We’re incredibly grateful to all our members who have been out there campaigning against the cuts.

‘We have been on the ground across all parts of the region, talking to the public about the effect these cuts will have and have gained huge support.

‘Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far. We will not stop until these cuts have been well and truly disbanded.’

All responses received by the fire service are being independently analysed by a company called Opinion Research Services (ORS) before they are looked at by fire authority members at the authority meeting on December 18.

Chief fire officer Lee Howell said: ‘I’d like to thank the thousands of people who have taken the time to share their views through the consultation.

‘I appreciate that moving the decision extends the uncertainty for our staff and communities who are affected by the proposals.

‘We don’t take any proposals to close stations or remove fire engines lightly which is why it is vital that we take time to thoroughly analyse and carefully consider the responses.’

The fire service is suggesting compensating for the removal of fire engines in the day by introducing six ‘roving appliances’ staffed by full-time firefighters to travel to where they are most needed.

However Cllr Leech said he feared this plan did not account for the ‘Devon mile’ and the time really taken to get anywhere on its country lanes

‘If Tavistock and Okehampton both lose a pump during the day, who will fill the void when there is a big emergency during the day? 

‘Certainly not the mobile pump, as it could be miles away at any one time.’