South Yorkshire fire engine 'on call' at night

There are currently two fire engines based at Rotherham fire station, Fitzwilliam Road, Eastwood, but from next month one of them will only be used at night on an 'on call' basis.

The change was approved by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s governing body - the South Yorkshire Fire Authority - in 2013.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Martin Blunden, said: “We have faced big cuts to our funding, but have repeatedly committed to providing the best possible service to the people of South Yorkshire within the resources which are available to us.

“This change is one of the last changes agreed four years ago. The second fire engine is not being taken away, but will become ‘on call’ at night and, as with all our fire stations, our 999 response service will continue to be supported by crews from other, nearby stations.

“We will soon be talking to the public about how we plan to deliver our services beyond 2017 and will look forward to listening to their views on how we plan to develop our work to keep people safe.”

The fire service has lost £14 million in its Government funding since 2010 and is expected to lose a further £2 million between now and 2020.