THE Government's austerity measures have led to widespread cuts in public spending. Benefits have been slashed, rural bus routes cut, social care spending reduced.

All these – and a myriad of other cuts – have significantly affected the lives of countless ordinary people.

By and large, we have put up with them. But it is different when vital emergency services are threatened.

People will need a great deal of reassuring that cuts in the number of North Yorkshire fire engines kept on five-minute standby will not put lives at risk.

At the moment, 46 fire engines are kept ready to respond within five minutes. This is to be reduced to 27.

The Fire Brigades Union has already warned that lives will be put at risk. Fire service bosses, however, insist this won't be the case.

Some fire engines will be replaced with smaller 'tactical response vehicles', they say.

And in addition to the 27 fire engines available within five minutes, there will be at least 13 more available within 15 minutes.

This sounds reassuring on the face of it. But the North Yorkshire fire brigade's head of risk management, Owen Hayward, also admits that, because the past ten years have seen a reduction in the number of incidents, the brigade needs to "look at new ways of delivering a cost-effective service".

That makes it sound as if it is all about the money after all.

Many people will be deeply worried. We need to know that next time we have a chip-pan fire, firefighters will be on hand quickly to make sure it doesn't develop into something much bigger.

When a fire breaks out, speed is of the essence. Fire bosses must never forget that. We just hope they haven't made a serious miscalculation.