I congratulate you on George Ware’s article on the proposed downgrading of South Woodham Ferrers Fire Station (Standard, December 16).

The fire service has become less busy so it’s reasonable to ask the question: “Can we afford to maintain the service in its present state?”

The default position is to make cuts - using part-time ‘on-call firefighters’ - which an overwhelming majority in South Woodham think could result in tragedies.

How about taking a more imaginative approach - getting the fire service to support the ambulance service?

France has led the way with ‘Les sapeurs pompiers’ who have their own ‘ambulance fleet’.

I envisage, if this were to be implemented, the fire service would deal with the more straightforward ‘low-risk’ cases in the first instance.

Unless they were first on the scene, they would not by and large be dealing with cases that, in ambulance service parlance ‘present an immediate threat to life’.

Read more: Residents express concerns over fire station on-call downgrade

In the article we were told that: “In 2016 Essex residents had the opportunity to take part in a consultation which asked people to give a view on which of three possible options for the future they preferred.”

It went on to say: “Seventy-four per cent of respondents supported the second option which outlined, among other things, the crewing system to be changed to on-call at Dovercourt, South Woodham Ferrers, Great Baddow, Waltham Abbey and Great Dunmow.”

This is a VERY old survey ... and contradicts a more recent survey in which 96 per cent of respondents thought the current plans would result in a service that is less safe.

Nobody likes change, so there will doubtless be nearly as much resistance to the idea that our fire service could take note of ‘Les sapeurs pompiers’ achievements as there is to the current flawed plan ... but we find ourselves in desperate straits, so all options must be considered.

Dr John Cormack

Via email