A FIRE station in the area has been downgraded from being a full time station, despite residents' concerns.

The fire station in South Woodham Ferrers is now an on-call fire station for the area.

Instead of being based there, firefighters who live or work within five minutes of the fire station will respond from home or work.

They can be called to a fire, road traffic collision or an animal rescue in South Woodham Ferrers or to assist crews further afield.

Residents have expressed their concerns online with many stating their worries about an increase in emergency response times. 

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Whole-time firefighters will support the station’s transition while some of the newer on-call firefighters continue their training.

The station is one of four on the Dengie Peninsula and will support the Burnham-on-Crouch team.

When Burnham firefighters are called to an incident or training, another crew will be brought into the fire station to respond to other incidents.

Station manager Dan Wastell said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has applied to join our team and to our firefighters that have been supporting their community in South Woodham Ferrers for a number of years.

READ MORE>>> Residents express concerns over fire station on-call downgrade

“We’ve got a great team of eight on-call firefighters with another five in the pipeline to join us throughout the year.

“Our on-call firefighters in Essex are a huge part of our service and their commitment to their communities helps to make Essex a safer place to live, work and travel.

“They are all competent firefighters who are paid to protect their community. We’re grateful for their support as well as support from their families and employers.

“The transition from a day-crewed duty system to an on-call duty system wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our local community - you are the ones who have applied to become on-call firefighters and are playing your part in protecting your community.

“We’re still recruiting on-call firefighters. If you live or work within five minutes of our fire station, you could be paid to protect your community as an on-call firefighter. If you’re interested, visit: join.essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call.

“We also have a number of volunteer roles in our Home Fire Safety team at South Woodham Ferrers Fire Station. Visit: www.essex-fire.gov.uk/volunteering.”