Hundreds Sign Petition Opposing Plans to Reduce Wrexham’s Fire Service

Hundreds of people have signed a petition to save Wrexham’s fire service after campaigners held a street stall in the town centre.

The campaigners took to the streets on Saturday 3 September to raise awareness and generate support against controversial proposals to reduce the number of fire engines in Wrexham.

In May Wrexham.com reported that plans had been put forward to cut one fire appliance and 24 firefighters jobs in Wrexham by 2019/20 as the North Wales Fire Authority look to cut £1 million from its budget.

The proposed reduction of appliances in Wrexham came following a meeting between members of the North Wales Fire Authority who had concluded that it was ‘no longer possible to freeze the authority’s budget’.

Several further options were also considered, including the closure of the control room and closing nine rural stations.

However the loss of one appliance in Wrexham was described as the ‘least damaging option’.

The proposals has been slammed by local campaigners and Plaid Cymru, who have stated the plans will ‘endanger lives’.

Plaid Cymru’s Wrexham spokesperson Marc Jones said: “The Fire Authority’s plan to save £1m by cutting 24 jobs and one of the town’s two fire appliances defies logic. They’ve just spent £15m on a brand new combined station in the town with the ambulance service. Why cut the service to the bone now?

“This makes even less when the Welsh Government expects there to be a 20% rise in the borough’s population over the coming years and there is a huge new prison opening in 2017.”

One of the main concerns regarding the proposals has surrounding issues with arson across Wrexham, with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service recently announcing they are creating a video to warn young people of the dangers of deliberate fires.

Details released earlier this year during a council consultation on how to tackle Wrexham’s ‘arson problem’ stated: “Arson has been a recurring problem in Wrexham for a number of years. There is a significantly higher level of deliberate fires in the county compared to the rest of North Wales over the past five years.

“43% of all arson in the North Wales area occurred in Wrexham; increasing to 47% in 2015.”

Mr Jones added:  “We also have an ongoing arson problem in the area with Wrexham’s fire services are already dealing with 43% of all North Wales arson and a large proportion of the road traffic accidents across the North.”

“In these circumstances, cutting the service would endanger lives.”

Mr Jones will be taking the petition to the North Wales Fire Authority when he meets senior fire officers on September 13. Anyone wanting copies of the petition sheet can contact him on [email protected] or 07747 792441.

You can show your support to the cause by signing the petition here. Regular updates can also be found on the ‘Save Wrexham’s Fire Engine’ Facebook page.