Staff plea to keep Bacup's two fire engines (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Staff plea to keep Bacup's two fire engines

10:30am Wednesday 2nd September 2009 in

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EXTRA help is needed from the public to ensure that Bacup keeps its two fire engines, brigade bosses have warned.

An appeal is being made for more retained firefighters, who split their time between normal jobs and tackling emergencies, to provide enough cover for the Rossendale town.

Currently Bacup, Stacksteads, Britannia and Whitworth are served by two appliances from the Pennine Road station.

But an emergency cover review, conducted countywide by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, has highlighted concerns about the availability of the retained pump.

Between 2006 and 2009 the appliance has only been on hand around 40per cent of the time during the day, though this rises to 92per cent overnight.

Fire chiefs said improvements had been made in the past three years, as the daytime availability was as low as 25.36per cent in 2006-07 and that figure had risen to 65.71per cent by the last financial year.

A Lancashire Fire and Rescue spokesman said in the review: “The retained fire engine availability remains problematic, particularly during the day, with limited improvement over the comparative period, though some progress in 2008-09 is evident.

“Some ‘very high’ and ‘high’ fire risk areas remain, and Bacup is appropriately served by the provision of two fire engines.

“However, increased support from the local community is essential if the retained fire engine is to be sustained in the longer term.”

The brigade’s warning has been echoed by Steve Harman, county secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, who also urged more people to consider a career as a retained crew member, which he described as a vital way of serving local communities.

People can find out more about becoming a retained firefighter by calling brigade headquarters on 01772 862545.

A recruitment campaign is scheduled to take place later this month.