THE second phase of consultation into the preferred locations of the proposed controversial Wyre Forest Emergency Services Hub begins today (July 4).

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging residents to give their views on the proposed locations – Silverwood Park or Stourpoint 5 – if the plans were to go ahead.

If approved, the hub would see the two Kidderminster crews and the retained Stourport and Bewdley stations relocated to one site – which would also house police, ambulance and voluntary organisations.

The £5.9 million hub has been met with a lot of controversy with Fire Brigades Union chiefs stating closing stations in Stourport and Bewdley would only increase response times and put lives at increased risk.

However, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service say pressures to balance the budget, the chance to work together and share intelligence with other blue light services and a reduction in the number of call outs were driving factors for the proposal.

Chief fire officer, Nathan Travis, said: “If approved by the Fire Authority later this autumn, we believe that the Wyre Forest Emergency Services Hub will be highly beneficial as it would allow the service to not only to share operational facilities and intelligence with its partners, but also increase joint training opportunities, which will ultimately improve the way we support the communities in the Wyre Forest through our targeted prevention and protection initiatives as well as when we respond to emergencies.

“Furthermore, combining Bewdley, Kidderminster and Stourport fire stations into a central hub station would provide a larger ‘pool’ of on-call firefighters from a wider catchment area – thus improving the overall availability and the resilience of emergency cover in the Wyre Forest.

"In terms of any changes to response times - based on the historical locations of the previous incidents - it is anticipated that the proposed siting of the new multi-agency hub may result in slightly slower response times for up to 2-3 incidents per month, although this remains in step with our overall level of performance across the wider Service.

“Therefore, even with these potential changes, Wyre Forest will still remain a very safe place to live, work and travel.”

He added: “Silverwood Park has been identified as the preferred location for the hub however Stourpoint 5 is also considered to be a satisfactory location.

“This second phase of consultation - which extends the overall consultation period from 12 to 22 weeks - provides the opportunity for people to have their say on their preferred choice, so I would encourage everyone to let us know their thoughts before the final decision is made later this year.”

Chair of the Fire Authority, Councillor Derek Prodger MBE, said: “The consultation is all about gathering the vital views of our partners, staff and local communities so I would encourage everyone to have their say.”

But Steve Gould, of the Fire Brigades Union, believes a single hub would put more lives at risk.

He said: “Closing fire stations in Stourport and Bewdley and moving them to one site in Kidderminster will add two and a half minutes to attendance times and that is unacceptable.

“That is a massive increase. When there is a fire, seconds count, and we believe a single hub will be putting more people at risk in the communities.

“It is also increasing danger for firefighters as the incidents they attend will be far more intense as it’s taken them longer to get there.

“We are not against a hub where emergency services work together but our priority is to save lives and property and we are looking to keep both Stourport and Bewdley open and will keep fighting to save them.

“People living in Stourport and Bewdley should be consulted separately on what they think about losing their station from their towns.”

(Map shows the two proposed locations - Point A is Silverwood Park, the preferred location, while point B is Stourpoint 5.)

Residents can give their views on the hub by filling out an online questionnaire or requesting a paper copy, by visiting hwfire.org.uk/your-right-to-know/consultation.

Further public meetings will also take place at Wyre Forest House, in Finepoint Way, on Wednesday, July 13, and Monday, July 18, from 7pm.

Views can also be given by emailing consultation@hwfire.org.uk or by calling 0345 1224454, or by tweeting @HWFire – using the hashtag #TellHWFire.

Once this period of consultation concludes, the Fire Authority will make a final decision on whether to proceed with the development.