Fire station to reopen in safety advice move

A Black Country fire station could reopen in April next year under plans to staff it with trained firefighters offering safety advice.

West Midlands Fire Authority wants to retain the Sedgley building for community use. The station closed last November despite 12,000 people signing a petition opposing the move.

Bosses have confirmed the engine will not be reintroduced but are pushing ahead with proposals for the building.

Firefighters would be based at Sedgley, offering residents tips on how to prevent fires breaking out and how to stay safe in the event.

The team could also carry out home safety checks for residents.

Ken Turner, who sits on the Fire Authority, said today: "If this is agreed by the members of the authority the station could be open in April.

"When the consultation on closure was held there was talk of it being brought into community use at that stage so this has always been on the cards."

"There has been a significant reduction in the number of incidents fire crews are called out to in the last decade and a lot of that is down to preventative action.

"We always look at doing something like this when we recycle stations because it gives something back to the whole community."

The news is a boost for union chiefs who had feared the Fire Authority was considering selling the Tipton Road site to developers.

Fire Brigades Union representative for the West Midlands Chris Downes said earlier this year union members believed the station would be sold.

The final decision to close Sedgley fire station was approved in November last year. A petition of 12,000 signatures was handed to fire chiefs in protest, with campaigners maintaining that the closure would put people's lives at risk.