11 Fire-Fighters Cut Across Windsor & Slough

11 Fire-fighter posts will disappear from the combined strength of the Windsor and Slough fire stations, when Windsor's St Mark's Road Fire Station ceases to operate as a full fire station in October. News

A freedom on information request made by the Liberal Democrats' Windsor Constituency revealed that the established number of fire-fighters across the two fire stations will fall from 79 to 68 following changes being introduced as part of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority's joint plan to reorganise fire cover in Windsor. (1)

Overall the number of Fire-fighters based across the two stations will have fallen from 94 fire-fighters before the Conservatives took control of the Royal Borough in 2007 to 68 fire-fighters in October 2013.

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Under the Conservative administration of the Royal Borough:

• Cookham Fire Station has closed

• Windsor Fire Station is set to close in October

• Ascot Fire Station is under threat in the current review (3)

• Fire-fighter numbers across Windsor and Slough have fallen from 94 to 68 (1)

• RBWM council tax payers pay 20% of Fire Service council tax, but only have 13% of frontline services based in their area (2)

• Further cuts may see one of Slough's two fire engine's redeployed to Bracknell following the current review (3)

• Response times across Berkshire have worsened consistently, despite a fall in the number of fires (4)

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Fire-fighter Numbers Under the Conservative Administration of the Royal Borough:

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Sources:

1. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service Freedom of Information Act Request 2013-0214, 21st July 2013
2. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service Freedom of Information Act Request 2013-0111, 27th April 2013
3. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service Freedom of Information Act Request 2013-0134, 16th May 2013
4. Royal Berkshire Fire Authority Five Year Integrated Risk Management Plan - Action Plan 2013 - 2014
5. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service Freedom of Information Act Request 2013-0280, 6th August 2013

Further Reading:

• Conservatives' New Fire Station Missing Key facilities (Liberal Democrats Windsor Constituency)
• Review of fire services in Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead underway (The Royal Borough Observer, John Dickens, May 20, 2013 11:30 AM)