Staff shortages left Surrey fire station out of action
It happened in Camberley in December and January
It has been revealed a Surrey fire station was out of action on two separate occasions in December and January due to staff shortages.
Camberley Fire Station was twice left without an operational crew during change over periods due to a lack of cover.
Surrey Fire and Rescue said the issue was temporary and the service’s ‘response offer to communities’ was not affected.
The worrying admission came during questions from the public at the February 19 meeting of Surrey Heath Borough Council.
Raising the issue was Derren Martin who said: “Camberley Fire Station has been closed due to staff shortages, largely because the station is now operating with just one fire engine crewed by four firefighters—a reduction of 30 firefighters since the station opened in 1967.
The rising population coupled with “fire cover now at its lowest ever” could lead to “delays to emergency intervention, which could cost lives and lead to the destruction of buildings and our heathland”, he said.
The chair of external partnerships select committee, Councillor Rob Lee, provided the following response on behalf of Surrey Fire and Rescue.
It read: “I would like to reassure the questioner and the public that there was fire and rescue cover in place for the whole of Surrey during periods when Camberley Fire Station was not crewed.
“Whilst the crew who begin and end their shifts at Camberley Fire Station were temporarily not on duty on two occasions between December 2024 and January 2025…this did not affect the services’ response offer to communities.”
Surrey Fire and Rescue service is managed by Surrey County Council meaning it has overall responsibility.
During the closures, the on-call Chobham Fire Station remained available for deployment although on both occasions there were no critical incidents within the Camberley area.
Staffing issues can also arise as Surrey Fire and Rescue uses four members to crew an engine. These must be made up of specific qualifications; one is needed as the officer in charge, one must be able to drive a fire engine, two must be able to carry out breathing apparatus work.
Data between April 2024 to September 2024 shows that, on average, there were 22 fire engines available during the day across Surrey, and 18 at night, exceeding Surrey’s target.
Surrey Fire and Rescue has said it will continue to run a 24/7 fire engine in Camberley, as well as Chobham’s on-call fire engine that focuses on night-time availability. This, it says, provides sufficient resource to meet the risks in Camberley
Cllr Lee added: “When your house is on fire, you need someone to come and respond and it’s absolutely critical that we support the fire services and ask those tough questions of Surrey County Council.”
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