A PUBLIC consultation will be held on plans that could see eight fire stations across Dorset and Wiltshire close, after the Fire Authority voted in favour of the move at a meeting in Salisbury this morning.

Members of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Authority backed the consultation by 11 votes to four during the meeting at City Hall where protestors had gathered.

The stations under threat are Wilton, Cranborne, Mere, Ramsbury, Bradford on Avon, Hamworthy, Maiden Newton and Charmouth.

Firefighters have already been informed that the stations could be shut as part of cost-cutting plans.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned the proposals would put lives at risk and significantly reduce emergency cover for communities.

Confirming the result, Cllr Paul Sample said the vote would allow the public to have their say on proposals which have so far focused heavily on station closures.

“I was a member of the working group. The way the working group was set up was to look at station closures,” he told the meeting.

“It was also asked to prepare a list for consultation, and I was very happy with the fact that we were going to go out to consultation, and that was a primary reason why I took part.”

Councillors state their views.

Cllr Sample, a member of the authority, said the process had been difficult for everyone involved.

“Absolutely no one who was at that working party really wanted to be there. That’s the reality. We were all in a very sad situation,” he said.

“No one came into the fire service to close fire stations. They came in to drive fire engines, to put out fires and to save people’s lives.”

He warned that the way options had been presented risked giving the impression that closures were the only solution.

“This was, as I said, an experience where we were presented with a very clear option. It was to decide which stations to close,” he said.

“I think that that framing implicitly suggests that station closures are the only meaningful way to address the budget challenge.”

The fire authority meeting at City Hall.

Cllr Sample said he wanted the consultation to look more broadly at alternatives before frontline cover was reduced.

“Now, I do not believe that the public accepts that. I would want there to be a genuine consultation on the options,” he said.

“Before we start to reduce frontline cover, we should be asking whether all of the options have been properly examined.”

Highlighting Wilton Fire Station, he said decisions could not be based on data alone.

“Wilton Fire Station is typical of the quandary we face as a committee,” he said.

“Which the data clearly shows that there is a weak case for Wilton. But it can’t be reduced to a simple spreadsheet exercise.”

He warned that closing Wilton would increase risk in Salisbury.

“To remove Wilton would materially increase risk to Salisbury,” he said.

“The next available support would be either Amesbury, if it’s available, or Fordingbridge – which is in Hampshire.

“That’s not resilience, it’s dependency on availability, distance and an element of luck.”