Fire station in Leicester to halve full-time staff
The number of full-time officers working at a fire station in Leicester is set to be halved in a bid to cut costs.
A total of 14 full-time firefighters at Oakham fire station in Rutland will work or be on call for 84-hours a week in order to achieve cost savings of around £400,000 each year, reports BBC News.
Leicestershire Fire Authority defended the move to cut 14 fire safety officers as the station is considered a "low activity" facility which receives less than 700 calls a year.
Steve Lunn, assistant chief fire and rescue officer for Leicestershire and Rutland, claimed that local residents would not be affected by the move as a full-time crew will be at the fire station 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"The firefighters instead of working a 12-hour shift will work a 24-hour shift that's split in half - 12 working hours and 12 standby hours," he told the news provider.
"It isn't just about saving money... it's about improving and increasing the number of full-time crewed fire appliances that we have available 24/7 in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland."
The Fire Brigades Union, in the East Midlands, labelled the sharp increase in working hours as "drastic".
Posted by Paul Clarke
