Bosses say changes to the fire service in Lichfield will save more than £170,000 a year.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue have unveiled a package of changes including replacing one of the two engines with a targeted response vehicle and reducing the day shift by an hour.
Deputy chief executive Becci Bryant said that a re-evaluation of fire cover was needed.
“We are conscious that savings do need to be made and this, coupled with the fact that the number of incidents have reached an all-time low, would make it remiss of us not to continue to ensure we are operating in the most efficient and effective way,” she said.
“Having looked in detail at the level of demand across the service, it is recommended that the second fire engine at Lichfield should be removed and a targeted response vehicle, crewed by the retained Watch, should be introduced.
“The Fire and Rescue Authroity will also be asked to consider bringing in annualised hours for the whole-time shift and reducing the whole-time day shift from 12 hours to 11 hours. There will be no job losses under the measures but they would result in a saving of £171,000 every year.”
The proposals have been criticised by Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant who described the plans as “irresponsible and reckless”.
But Ms Bryant said the service was still committed to high standards.
“As a service we strongly believe that prevention is far better than cure and the fact that the number of incidents has been decreasing year-on-year supports this ethos,” she said.
“We have made a significant investment into continuing this work through our community fire stations which allow us to have far greater levels of engagement with residents, meaning that we can educate and advise people on fire safety in the home and on the roads.”
The changes in Lichfield form part of a £1.1million package of savings outlined in a new report by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
