CONCERNS have been raised about the introduction of a tactical response vehicle (TRV) at a Ryedale fire station.

Representatives from North Yorkshire Fire Service attended a recent Helmsley Town Council meeting to outline proposed plans to introduce a three-person TRV, which are smaller than a traditional fire engine, at the town’s fire station.

At the meeting, councillors objected to the idea stating the service should “increase its recruitment efforts in Helmsley” rather than “paving the way for further downgrading”.

In a letter sent to Julia Mulligan, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, councillors said concerns over the proposed plans, including “unsuitable ladder length, insufficient water pumps and inadequate breathing apparatus”.

Some councillors, who own properties and farms around the area, said the TRV was “unsuitable for rural work” and may “cause delays when attending fires in buildings higher than two-storeys”.

Jake Duncombe, the owner of the Duncombe Park Estate, said: “We own a variety of properties around Helmsley. The fire service is very valuable, not only to myself, but everyone in the surrounding area. As a home-owner, the tactical response vehicles are concerning because of the overall unsuitability for properties over two-storeys high.”

Currently, Helmsley Fire Station is crewed by on-call firefighters who, rather than traditionally based at the fire station, provide coverage from home or work.

North Yorkshire Fire Service say the proposed plans may tackle staffing numbers, improve availability at incidents and overall fire coverage.

A spokesman said: “Following a review, four on-call fire stations have been identified as having particular issues with staffing numbers and recruitment which means their fire engines are often unavailable.

“Our minimum crewing for a standard fire engine is four, and the four fire stations identified often have three crew available which means that they cannot respond to incidents.

“Back in 2017 the service introduced tactical response vehicles into the service. These are a slightly smaller type of fire engine which carry high specification equipment which has been designed to be operated by fewer firefighters. They are currently in use at Harrogate and Scarborough fire stations.

“We now plan to use tactical response vehicles are four of our on-call stations, including Helmsley. When there are four firefighters available they will be able to attend all incidents, as a standard fire engine does now.

“However, they will also be able to attend some incidents when there are three firefighters available, this will improve fire cover and availability in these areas.”