Two Ripon fire crews attended the fire
There are just a few days left for people to comment on controversial plans to cut the number of night-time fire engines in Harrogate to just one.
This Sunday is the final day of a three-month consultation on the proposals from the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The county’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe is running an online survey on the plans which she said would “continue to provide an immediate emergency response” during the night when emergencies are less likely to occur.
She has also insisted the proposals are not cost-cutting measures as the fire service already has a balanced budget.
Yet union officials and councillors have raised concerns over the plans which have been described as “seriously concerning” and “putting money before lives”.
Read more:
- Fire Brigades Union ‘seriously concerned’ over cuts to Harrogate service
- Harrogate firefighter brands plans to rely on one fire engine ‘farcical’
- Harrogate fire station changes won’t increase risk to life, says commissioner
Steve Howley, secretary at the North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union, said the proposed move would leave the area with a “second-rate emergency response service that will put lives at risk” as he also urged commissioner Metcalfe to fight for more funding from the government.
The proposals are included in the fire service’s new risk and resource model which sets out how it will deploy staff and equipment over the next three years.
There are similar proposals for fire stations in Scarborough and Huntington which commissioner Metcalfe said along with the Harrogate plans would save over £1.5 million a year to allow for investment in fire prevention.
She added the proposals are based on an “extensive risk assessment” which has identified the likelihood of fires, road traffic collisions and other emergencies.
Commissioner Metcalfe said:
“The assessment shows that in our area, the risk of having a fire in your home is generally low, with pockets of higher risk in some of our urban areas and also in the south-east of the service area.
“In fact, other emergencies, such as collisions on our roads or rescues from water during storms and floods, make up a larger proportion of what our service responds to.
“Based on this evidence, your fire and rescue service has put forward proposals that it feels will ensure it has the right people with the right equipment in the right place at the right time to reduce the risk of harm in our communities.
“Before I make my decision on whether to implement them, I want to know what you, the people of North Yorkshire and York, think of them.”
To have your say go to www.TellCommissionerZoe.co.uk.
Councillors have ‘major concerns’ about plans to reduce Harrogate fire enginesCouncillors said today they had “major concerns” about plans to reduce the number of night time fire engines in Harrogate to one.
North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe defended her plans at a special meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee.
Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative, told the Liberal Democrat-controlled committee she would still consider a shake-up of Harrogate’s night time fire service even if she had “millions in reserves”.
Ms Metcalfe told the meeting the plans “were not cuts” but the right thing to do. She said:
“If they were cuts, they would have happened yesterday. We do have a balanced budget until 2026. Let’s be very clear on that.
“If I had millions of pounds worth in the bank of reserves, I would still be doing this. I would still be going out on consultation, because it is absolutely right that we identify our risk and where our risk is in the county and York and then put the right resources to cover that risk.”
Ms Metcalfe added that no fire stations were closing and no whole time firefighters were losing their jobs.
Her three-year plan for the fire service includes proposals on staff shift patterns, the number of fire engines operating at night and putting a greater emphasis on fire prevention.
Harrogate and Scarborough currently both have an emergency fire engine and a tactical response fire engine operating 24 hours a day.
Ms Metcalfe’s model proposes both stations have two emergency response vehicles during the day but only one at night. They would lose their tactical response engines altogether.
‘Race to the bottom’
Paul James, chair of the Fire Brigades Union in North Yorkshire, said the plan would leave Harrogate fire station in a “race to the bottom” on response times.
Mr James told the meeting the changes amounted to cuts and that Harrogate was an area of high risk due to its density.
He added that a cut in funding nationally “has dovetailed” with slow response times locally and criticised the lack of a response standard from the service.
Paul James, chair of the North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union branch, at today’s meeting.
Mr James said:
“Harrogate still requires two appliances during the night to cover serious fires, if positive outcomes are to be achieved.
“Under these proposals during the night time hours Ripon, Tadcaster, Malton, Northallerton and Selby will all have more fire engines than Harrogate.”
He added:
“We feel that the continuing avoidance of declaring a standard [response time] is the avoidance of transparency and accountability.
“These proposals will see Harrogate enter the response time race to the bottom that much of the rest of the county competes in.”
Dave Winspear, director of transformation at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, denied there was a “race to the bottom” on response times for Harrogate.
Read more:
- Fire Brigades Union ‘seriously concerned’ over cuts to Harrogate service
- Harrogate firefighter brands plans to rely on one fire engine ‘farcical’
- Harrogate fire station changes won’t increase risk to life, says commissioner
Meanwhile, some councillors were critical of the proposals.
Cllr Robert Windass, a Conservative representing Boroughbridge who was a fire fighter in Leeds for 30 years, said he did not feel the figures on night time fires “were right”.
He added:
“I did 30 years in Leeds and the most fatalities and the most people we had to rescue was during the hours of night.
“Not during the day, we did get them, but the majority was at night time when people were asleep and when something went wrong such as children playing with matches and things like that.
“So I won’t dispute your figures, but I don’t think they are right.”
As part of its response to the plans, the committee agreed to express major concerns over night cover but welcomed investment in prevention work.
You can find out more about the proposed changes and take part in the consultation here.
Fire crews called to garage blaze in LofthouseFire crews were called to a fire at a garage in Lofthouse late last night.
Fire fighters from Masham, Summerbridge and Lofthouse were summoned to the village at 11.51pm.
The fire was estimated to have damaged 50% of the garage and its contents.
The owner of the property extinguished the blaze before North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue arrived.
The service added in an incident log:
“Crews carried out an inspection using a thermal imaging camera and gave advice to the owner.
“The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental.”
Read more:
- North Yorkshire fire service has adequate funding, says minister
- Fire Brigades Union ‘seriously concerned’ over cuts to Harrogate service
Emergency services attend three car crash on Ripley Road
Emergency services were called to a crash on Knaresborough’s Ripley Road yesterday.
Police, fire crews and and an air ambulance attended the three car crash at 6.13pm.
Fire fighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to the incident.
An incident log from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said crews attended the three vehicle road traffic collision and extricated a female passenger at the scene.
The Stray Ferret has contacted North Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Air Ambulance for further details on the crash.
Read more:
- Ex-Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott escapes driving ban
- Ripley parking fine reignites free parking debate
Roof fire causes ‘serious damage’ to old rectory near Ripon
The old rectory in West Tanfield, north of Ripon, has been seriously damaged by fire today.
Crews from Ripon, Masham, Bedale, Leyburn, Northallerton and Thirsk tackled the blaze, which occurred next to the parish church of St Nicholas.
The Stray Ferret understands the roof of the property has collapsed. It is not yet known how the fire started but it is not believed anyone was injured.
Firefighters tackle the blaze in West Tanfield.
Masham fire station said in a social media post this evening that it and Ripon fire crews were called to reports of a fire in the roof at 10.50am. It added:
“After arriving a short time later a serious fire was developing in the attic space of the property.
“Further appliances from Bedale, Leyburn, Northallerton and Thirsk and an aerial ladder platform from Harrogate fire station was requested.
“Crews entered the building in breathing apparatus to attempt to stop the fire from spreading, but had to be withdrawn due to safety reasons.
“The house has suffered serious damage and crews remain at the scene into the evening damping down.”
Read More:
- Cuts to Harrogate fire crews would ‘put money before lives’, says ex-firefighter
- North Yorkshire Police among slowest in country responding to 999 calls
Harrogate firefighters free elderly woman from car after crash
An elderly woman had to be freed from her car by firefighters after a crash in the Harrogate district last night.
Both Harrogate crews were called to reports of a two-vehicle collision at Spring Lane, Kearby at about 8.20pm.
According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log, two elderly occupants of a Volkswagen managed to get out the car but returned to the vehicle to await the emergency services.
A man in his 20s, who was also involved in the incident, was out of his BMW when the firefighters arrived.
The incident log adds:
“The elderly male then exited the car and after assessment the ambulance crews requested the roof removal of the VW to extricate the elderly female due to suspected injuries.
“All occupants were transported to hospital for treatment mainly for minor injuries. Fire crew used 2 sets of e-draulic cutters, stabilisation blocks, windscreen cutter, sharps kit and crew power.”
Kearby is near Kirkby Overblow, between Harrogate and Wetherby on the fringes of the Harrogate district.
Read more:
- Cuts to Harrogate fire crews would ‘put money before lives’, says ex-firefighter
- Two teenagers arrested after six deliberate bin fires in Harrogate
Five Harrogate firefighters could lose jobs in plans to reduce service
Five Harrogate firefighters could lose their jobs under plans to halve the number of fire engines operating in the town overnight,
The Stray Ferret revealed yesterday proposals for the station on Skipton Road to operate just one fire engine at night, as opposed to the current two.
North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has suggested the move as part of a three-month consultation on proposed changes to fire and rescue services.
The station would continue to be resourced for two fire engines during the day but it would have just one appliance from 10pm to 9am, when fewer incidents usually occur.
The move would also see the station lose its tactical response vehicle, which would be moved to an on-call station elsewhere in the county, and a self-rostering staffing system introduced.
At a commissioner public accountability meeting today, Jonathan Foster, interim chief fire officer at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said the reduction in posts would come from either retirements or redeployments.
He said:
“We would look towards the retirement profile, we would look towards redeployment opportunities and we would look also towards the growth opportunities in prevention and protection areas.
“I must also say that this is a progressive approach. There are some really good opportunities for our firefighters to advance into other areas if they chose to. If not, that is fine.
“There are a range of different alternatives there which will help and we will work very closely with representatives bodies to manage this process in the best way that we can.”
Read more:
- Masham Police House to be sold as officers relocate to fire station
- Harrogate set to have just one fire engine at night
Mr Foster added that the changes were justified as the service’s modelling showed peak times were between 9am and 10pm.
The changes are part of Ms Metcalfe’s Risk and Resource Model 2022-2025, which sets out how the fire service will deploy its people, equipment and resources.
Fire officials told today’s meeting that the proposals would help to save £1.5 million a year from 2025.
Mr Foster said:
“I stress this very much so, this is about reinvestment back into the on-call duty system to improve overall availability and then also to reinvest in protection and prevention activities so that we can protect the people of North Yorkshire and City of York in a much more effective manner.”
Warning after cigarette causes Penny Pot Lane fire
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has warned people to discard of cigarettes properly after a fire on Penny Pot Lane.
Crews from Harrogate were called to a fire to a gorse bush in the area yesterday.
The incident is believed to have been caused by a discarded cigarette.
The fire was put out on arrival, but the service is urging people to dispose of cigarettes carefully.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said:
“A reminder if you’re heading out today in the countryside to please take care. Dispose of cigarettes carefully, don’t leave glass bottles lying around and don’t light bbqs or camp fires on or near dry grass/moorlands. Call 999 if you see a wildfire.
“Grass fires like these can tie up our fire crews meaning they’re not available to attend other incidents.”
Read more:
- ‘No suspicious circumstances’ surrounding Brearton house fire, say fire service
- Firefighters battle large wildfire near Brimham Rocks
‘No suspicious circumstances’ surrounding Brearton house fire, say fire service
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue say there are “no suspicious circumstances” surrounding the cause of a house fire in Brearton which left one woman dead.
Lynda Greenwood, 67, was identified locally as the victim of the fire, which gutted the village home late on the evening of Saturday, April 2.
The fire service and North Yorkshire Police launched a joint investigation following the fire.
Emergency services from Harrogate, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and Ripon were called to the scene at around 10pm but, despite their best efforts, Ms Greenwood was pronounced dead at the scene.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said that the service cannot confirm the cause of the fire until a report has been accepted by the coroner.
They said:
“While there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire, we cannot confirm the cause until the report has been accepted by the coroner – which may take several months.”
Read more:
Ms Greenwood grew up in Knaresborough, attending King James’s School while it was still a grammar school in the 1960s. She went on to complete a law degree at Kingston University and practised in Surrey, where she became partner in a law firm.
After having her daughter, she set up Greenwoods Solicitors in her home town. She specialised in commercial property, lasting powers of attorney, wills and probate.
Battery believed to have caused last night’s fire at Ripon recycling companyA battery in a pile of scrap metal is believed to be have causes last night’s fire at a specialist Ripon recycling company.
Nobody was injured in the blaze at K. A. Anderson metal recyclers on the Dallamires Lane Industrial Estate.
In its incident log, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service says this morning:
“Two crews from Ripon responded to reports of a fire in a scrap yard involving 2M by 4M of scrap.
“Crews used four breathing apparatus, three forty five mm jets, a thermal imaging camera and lighting, as well as a digger, to extinguish the fire.
“This was believed to be caused by a battery within the scrap pile.”
The fire was spotted shortly before 8pm.
“Nobody has been injured, it’s simply a fire that has started in a skip.”
The blaze was quickly brought under control by the fire crews
Thick clouds of dark acrid smoke billowed into the sky over Dallamires Lane, as officers worked to put out the fire.
They quickly had it under control.
K. A Anderson, a specialist in all aspects of metal recycling, is a third generation family-run business, operating for almost half a century,
On the company website, it says that the recycler has built a professional reputation for scrappage, processing and raw metals supply throughout the UK.
The company provides a complete metal recycling service, for many businesses and its major clients include Google and Lord’s Cricket Ground.