PLANS have been announced to axe full-time firefighters at a York fire station - amid claims that the change will increase response times by up to four minutes and put public safety at risk.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe claims that in York, there is 'currently more emergency response resource than the risk or demand requires.'

She said Huntington fire station was the least used in the area and so she was proposing to change the crewing there from full-time to on-call.

The Conservative commissioner claimed the proposal would offer 'appropriate and safe cover for the community, while retaining capacity to carry out important prevention and protection work.'

But the proposals have been blasted by LibDem councillors from north York, who have launched a petition against the changes - https://www.yorklibdems.org.uk/firepetition.

Strensall councillor Tony Fisher said there had been two serious house fires in Strensall in the last couple of years. "Luckily, everyone escaped safely, but I worry what would have happened if the crews had arrived four minutes later," he said.

“There is also the risk to Strensall Common, where fires can spread out of control extremely quickly – just a few weeks ago the crew from Huntington were instrumental in containing a 500m fire front on the common.”

Haxby and Wigginton councillor Andrew Hollyer said residents would be shocked at the proposals, particularly as they came after several devastating house fires in recent years, while Huntington and New Earswick councillor Carol Runciman claimed the changes would put public safety at risk.

York Outer Tory MP Julian Sturdy encouraged everyone with concerns about provision to contribute their thoughts, adding: "York must of course retain the right level of fire cover, and residents can certainly count on me to work for them on this."

 York Central Labour MP Rachael Maskell said the Government had failed to permit more investment in the service, leaving it as one of the worst funded in the country,adding:"Cutting firefighters who don’t just deal with domestic, commercial and rural fires, but also road traffic accidents and flooding, is not the solution. Scaling back services to Huntington will impact on the whole city."

The commissioner said the changes, which were going out to a three-month public consultation before she makes a final decision, were based on an extensive risk assessment across North Yorkshire and York, which had identified the likelihood and severity of fires, road traffic collisions, water related incidents, and other emergencies.

"The proposed changes are not a way to cut costs, but instead are an opportunity to invest in vital areas identified by the public as priorities – such as improving the availability of on-call fire engines in our rural areas, and increasing prevention and protection work across the county and city," she said.

She said she would be holding 12 events across North Yorkshire and York to discuss the proposals, including in Huntington, and an online questionnaire will also be available.

She said the role of the Fire and Rescue Service had changed, with only 26 per cent of its incidents last year relating to a fire emergency.

"We want to ensure we are addressing our current and future challenges and that we have the capacity to prevent and protect to stop incidents happening in the first place and prevent harm before it can take place, while also having the capacity to respond to emergencies when they do take place. We are confident these proposals would do that.

“Inevitably, there are some areas where the setup of the Service would change but I’m confident the right people, right equipment and the right support would continue to be available to everyone.

"Fire and Rescue personnel across North Yorkshire and York have been engaged by the Service on these proposals over the last two weeks and have been reassured that whilst some roles may be redeployed, everyone would remain employed and continue to fulfil what is needed to keep their community safe and feeling safe."