Bucks Fire Assistant Chief pledges increased on-call availability, amid planned service changes
Doug Buchanan says proposals being drawn up to modify the service will also result in a better capability to deal with things like wildfires or flooding
Buckinghamshire's Assistant Chief Fire Officer says change is necessary within the service, but no decisions have been made yet on a potential reduction of local fire stations and engines.
Doug Buchanan says proposals - set to go to the local Fire Authority for approval next month - are about getting the 'right people in the right places at the right time' and not about saving money.
They include a revision of the on-call Firefighter provision.
Doug said "We've got some highly committed on-call staff that give up a significant amount of time, alongside holding down a primary job. We're seeing both regionally and nationally that that is becoming more challenging.
"I think they staff recognise some of the problems that we have with our current system ultimately, and they welcome the fact that we're seeking to tackle it and future-proof ourselves so that we genuinely have got the right people in the right place at the right time."
He added that planned changes - which include the potential loss of eight fire engines and two fire stations in Buckinghamshire - aim to 'improve safety and give better value for money.'
Doug also tells us that changes to the on-call Firefighter provision will actually improve the availability of staff and appliances across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.
"There's some real difficulty in recruitment, some real difficulties in the retention of staff, because it's a huge commitment. What we need to do is to revisit what we need from our on-call Firefighters and how we can better support staff to make a really useful contribution to the communities of Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes," he said.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has previously warned any further reductions could harm public safety.
It says the local Fire Authority is weighing up two options, both of which would see the number of fire engines reduced from 30 to 22.
The FBU says Buckinghamshire has already endured some of the worst cuts in the country, losing more than a third of its firefighters between 2010 and 2024.
The union warns that further reductions would “seriously undermine public safety”.
Mitch Wallace, FBU brigade secretary for Buckinghamshire, said “Instead of looking for more ways to reduce resources, we need a new focus: securing the investment that allows us to rebuild, recruit and retain firefighters."
A public consultation could start next month if the local Fire Authority agrees to the plans.
The Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority is responsible for making decisions on policy, finance, and resources.