Meeting to get fire station backing

Campaigners fighting to save a Black Country fire station from closure will stage a public meeting this week in a desperate bid to retain it.

Scores of protesters are expected to pack into All Saints Church Hall, Vicar Street, Sedgley, on Thursday, where they will try to earn the site a stay of execution. The retained fire station, which has one engine, has been earmarked for closure by West Midlands Fire Authority which says that other full-time stations can respond to fire calls more quickly.

Dudley North MP Ian Austin and crews from the Tipton Road station are campaigning to keep it open and calling for support.

Fire authority representatives are invited to the meeting – organised by Sedgley resident Rachel Spittle and the Fire Brigade's Union – but attendance is yet to be confirmed.

Seven crew members who were sacked and later reinstated are being retrained but the station remains shut. More than 1,700 people signed a petition against permanent closure, which would see crews from Dudley and Tipton respond to Sedgley calls.

Mr Austin and firefighters will go door-to-door asking for more support. He speaks at the meeting at All Saints Church Hall (7.30pm).

The Fire Authority recommend closure as they say changes to the response system – coming into effect next week – mean crews at Dudley are likely to respond more quickly than Sedgley.

Retained firefighters at Sedgley live and work locally and are alerted to a pager call. A minimum of four retained firefighters must get to the station to log the call and respond to it.

It can sometimes take up to five minutes for crews to arrive on scene. The authority says an engine from Dudley, staffed full time, can reach Sedgley fire station within three minutes.

Mr Austin said response on the doorstep had been overwhelming and showed how concerned people were about the plans. He said people should go to www.savesedgleyfireser vice.co.uk and give their support. People could also call him on 01384 342504 or email austini@parliament.uk for petition forms.