Concerns have been raised about proposals to cut the number of firefighters attached to each fire engine in Hertfordshire.

A new document drawn up by the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service suggests the crews on traditional fire engines could be cut from five, to four.

According to chief fire officer Darryl Keen the move would be in line with other fire services across the country, which – he says – regularly operate with a  four-strong crew.

He says that in practice it reflects current levels of ‘crewing’ on some fire engines in Hertfordshire – where they aim for five on the first appliance and four on the second.

The move is part of a package of proposals – in the draft Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) – presented to the county council’s community safety and waste management cabinet panel on November 9.

It also includes plans to trial the replacement of some fire engines with 4×4 type ‘rapid response’ vehicles and others with ‘intermediate’ response vehicles.

And it proposes the possible relocation of fire stations, an increase in prevention work, improvements in training and looking at alternative shift patterns.

However no decisions on the plan would be taken until the document had gone out to public consultation.

Among those to challenge the proposal to reduce fire engine crews at the meeting was Conservative councillor Simon Bloxham, himself a former firefighter.

Although he backed a number of the IRMP proposals, he said: “I do have concerns on crew levels. And I think going down to four persons on a pump is maybe not the best use of resources.”

Mr Keen told councillors he had expected the move to reduce the size of the crew to be “quite emotive”. But he said it would not present a risk to firefighters.

He said it was part of a package of changes that would potentially enable more specialist appliances – such as the aerial platform ladder (APL) at Watford Fire Station – to be permanently crewed and available.

As well as the crewing levels, Labour councillor Joshua Bennett-Lovell raised concerns about changing working arrangements – suggesting changes based on the existing ‘day crew plus’ could be in contravention of the Working Time Directive.

But Mr Keen said such arrangements in Hertfordshire would not be considered to be in contravention, because they were underpinned by a collective agreement.

Chief Fire Officer Mr Keen told the meeting costings were not indicated in the report, because he didn’t want the decisions to be financially driven.

He did confirm an expectation that the service would have to make savings of £2.2 million, as part of overall council budget savings.

But he said the changes outlined in the plan would not generate those savings.

Ultimately, the Conservative majority of councillors on the panel did back the approach taken in the IRMP and the plans for it to go out to public consultation.

Liberal Democrat councillor John Hale said his group could not support the draft IRMP going out to consultation because of a lack of detail underpinning the proposals.

Fellow Lib Dem Cllr Barbara Gibson said there was not enough content in the report to identify the risks. And while she said  she trusted that the analysis had been done, that it wasn’t evidenced in the report.

Like the Lib Dems, Labour Leader Judi Billing did not vote to support the proposals in the IRMP but she did support the move towards public consultation.

The report is expected to be considered by cabinet later this month.  And, if agreed, the proposals are expected to go out to a 12-week public consultation, from December 28.

Once the IRMP is amended and feedback incorporated it will be reconsidered by Cabinet. It is expected that it could be approved by June 2019 and implemented the following month.