Fire engines can go over the speed limit, but personal vehicles driven by on-call staff cannot, according to Assistant Chief Fire Officer Stuart Millington. 

A call-out would have an effect on people who drive their own vehicles to reach stations, he said. 

Firefighters' attempts to respond to a fire may therefore be delayed. 

The claim was made during a meeting with the Conwy council and the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service on Monday. 

Mr Millington was speaking to the council's finance and resources overview and scrutiny committee regarding controversial proposals to close or scale back operations at several North Wales Fire stations. 

Firefighters to help enforce 20-mph speed limits How does the new 20-mph speed limit law work?

"In terms of the 20mph speed limit, that's a complex subject in its own right with lots of opinion and debate that we are already aware of," he said. 

"We did provide a consultation response in relation to the 20mph response, and it was debated, and we provided information on what that would mean for reduced response times for on-call firefighters." 

On-call firefighters are members of the community who are paid to respond to emergencies. They do not staff the fire station 24 hours a day like full-time firefighters, who are exempt from the new law when on duty. "When we are in a fire engine, we can exceed speed limits."

Mr Millington added, "But when our staff are responding from their home address or from work to the fire station, then they do have to apply to those 20mph restrictions.

A senior fire officer has said some response times will be affected by Wales' new 20mph speed limit. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Stuart Millington said that while fire engines can exceed the speed limit, private vehicles driven by on-call staff cannot. 

Those using their own cars to get to stations during a call-out would be impacted, he said. 

As a result, firefighters' attempts to attend a blaze could be delayed. The claim came during a meeting on Monday with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Conwy council. 

Mr Millington was speaking to the council's finance and resources overview and scrutiny committee regarding controversial proposals to close or scale back operations at several North Wales Fire stations. 

Firefighters to help enforce 20mph speed limits How does the new 20mph speed limit law work? "In terms of the 20mph speed limit, that's a complex subject in its own right with lots of opinion and debate that we are already aware of," he said. "We did provide a consultation response in relation to the 20mph response, and it was debated, and we provided information on what that would mean for reduced response times for on-call firefighters." 

On-call firefighters are members of the community who are paid to respond to emergencies. They do not staff the fire station 24 hours a day like full-time firefighters, who are exempt from the new law when on duty. "When we are in a fire engine, we can exceed speed limits," 

Mr. Millington added. "But when our staff are responding from their home address or from work to the fire station, then they do have to apply to those 20mph restrictions.

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