Future of fire service targets in balance

SOUTH Yorkshire Fire Service is seeking the views of the public on proposals to scrap emergency response targets that it has failed to meet in any of the last six years.

The service has admitted falling short of its aim of reaching 80 per cent of life-threatening incidents within six minutes.

It hit that target on just 55 per cent of such incidents last year.

Now bosses are suggesting tearing up the target and it wants the public’s views as as part of its Operational Plan 2013-15.

Scrapping the response time is one of three options and other suggestions include increasing the target time to a “more realistic” time of setting different targets based on the likelihood of fires in different parts of the county.

The service would still aim to reach emergencies in the quickest possible time.

Assistant chief fire officer John Roberts said: “The aspiration always was that we would try to achieve those targets.

“The unfortunate thing at that time was that the level of data that we had, to say whether we could achieve them or not, wasn’t actually there. So it was an extremely stretching target.

“In terms of whether there should be any major concern, we will make a commitment to get there as fast as we can.”

Tony Carlin, group manager at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, “Really we now need to get the public's opinion on what is a more realistic expectation," he said.

But the consultation has been slammed by the Fire Brigade Union, which says the reason that crews are not meeting the target is because they are over-stretched.

The service says the Government is cutting its funding by £10m by 2015 and it has increases its council tax precept this year by 1.98 per cent to bring in an extra £400,000 in annual revenue.