Shake-up could see major changes to Norfolk's fire stations

Fire chiefs have launched a review of their resources to assess whether any changes are needed to keep pace with the county's new housing developments and new roads.

They want to establish whether the current network of 42 stations are in the best locations to provide the cover needed in case of fires and other emergencies.

Firefighters tackle a bungalow fire. (Image: Archant 2021)

The review forms part of a three-year Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) and will involve coming up with a number of options the public will be asked about.

Officers at Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, part of Norfolk County Council, said it was too soon to say what proposals could emerge from the creation of that new plan.

A county council spokesperson said: "We are exploring options to ensure our resources are best aligned to match the risk and needs of communities.

"The role of the service is changing, as is the infrastructure of Norfolk - with developments such as housing development and new and improved roads.

"One of these is the third river crossing, which will mean that our Gorleston and Great Yarmouth stations will be close together.

Pictures taken from a plane are giving a bird's eye view of work to construct Great Yarmouth's Third River Crossing. (Image: Mike Page)

"We want to engage at the earliest stage and then on the draft plan, so it’s important we explore views and look at risk profiles to get our service operating in the most efficient way for Norfolk’s public."

One change which fire officers are looking at is whether the minimum number of crew numbers on fire engines could be reduced.

A spokesperson said: "In other areas, reduced crewing numbers for on-call crews mean that a fire appliance can stay available for longer and arrive more quickly at an incident as it is waiting for fewer people to get to the station.

"However, our on-call availability is high across Norfolk anyway, so we are exploring what difference this would make, if any."

Another key issue to be explored is maximising the service's resources to focus on prevention.

Traditionally, fire resources were about responding to emergencies, but in recent years much of the service's focus has been on protection and prevention - to make sure fires and other emergencies do not happen in the first place.

The plan could seek to refocus community safety work to educate the public.

A report, which will come before councillors next week, also states the service might want to consider whether its specialist response services - such as water rescue teams - are in the best locations.

Tim Edwards, interim chief fire officer for Norfolk. (Image: Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service)

Chief fire officer Tim Edwards said: “We want our communities to help us shape the next CRMP, and so are seeking cabinet endorsement to go out to Norfolk’s public and ask for their thoughts to explore some options.

"Once we have some draft proposals, shaped with support from the public, we will progress to a full public consultation in the autumn.”

The Conservative-controlled cabinet at Norfolk County Council will meet on Monday (May 3) to agree the approach and timetable for formulating the CRMP.

Margaret Dewsbury, cabinet member for communities and partnerships (Image: Norfolk Conservatives)

Margaret Dewsbury, the council's cabinet member for communities and partnerships, said: “We want to provide the best service we can for Norfolk.

"Our fire and rescue service needs to ensure that it is effective at reducing risk and protecting communities.

"The landscape has changed significantly over recent years in terms of new and changing risks, so it is right that we now consider the next plan.”

Firefighters use a thermal imaging camera to check the fire has been extinguished (Image: Chris Bishop)

The fire service is currently waiting to discover the outcome of a recent inspection.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire & Rescue Services carried out an assessment in October and November last year.

The inspectors are due to publish their findings in the next few months.

When the service was last inspected, in 2019, inspectors said it was not good enough and rated it as requiring improvement, which led to the development of an improvement plan.