Cover story

One of the options due to be considered tomorrow by Nottinghamshire Fire Authority as part of a restructuring of the service is the end of round-the-clock cover by full-time firefighters at Newark.

It is not the favoured option of chief fire officer Frank Swann, but simply putting it forward as a possibility shows the fire service is thinking the unthinkable.

Newark’s cover could be reduced to a 12-hour day shift. The rest of the time cover would be provided by retained firefighters and other stations.

But Newark sits on the A1/A46 interchange, it is on the East Coast main line, and is due to expand through the Growth Point developments.

The potential for a major incident is always there.

Retained firefighters do a great job but any extra minutes taken reaching the scene of a serious road accident, for instance, could be critical.

In this area retained firefighters work best from stations in outlying towns and villages.

Unfortunately they are also in the firing line, with Collingham’s station identified as one of the most likely to be closed.

The case for keeping the Collingham station is also a strong one. Without it Newark loses the nearest back-up appliance and there are warnings that lives will be put at risk.

The chairman of the fire authority, Mr Darrell Pulk, says members have to work out the best way of configuring services to achieve the best service for the county.

In that case members should give the idea of reducing Newark to a part-time station the short shrift it deserves.