CHESHIRE'S chief fire officer says removing Ellesmere Port's third engine will NOT put residents' lives at risk.
Steve McGuirk spoke out after Cheshire Fire Authority's policy advisory group decided to replace the pump with a midi-fire appliance at its meeting on Thursday.
Mr McGuirk told the Pioneer: 'We acknowledge the concerns of people in Ellesmere Port and are not oblivious to that.
'But I did not join the fire service 29 years ago to kill people. This will not put lives at risk.'
He added: 'The Port's third pump was put in place to achieve outdated standards drawn up after the Blitz in the 1940s, which saw a large number of appliances available for risk involving property.
'There was a need to change this oldfashioned method of planning and focus on the risk to life.
'Staff have already embraced this new approach and many residents have already felt the benefits of firefighters being in their community more.'
The third pump will be removed this summer after consultations about where staff could be redeployed.
The midi-appliance will be based at the Wellington Road fire station to tackle small rubbish fires in the borough, which account for 80% of the jobs attended by firefighters.
Fire Authority chairman John Joyce said: 'Even after this change, we'll still have 10 firefighters on duty around the clock in the Port.'
But borough councillor Ian Ormerod, who quit the Labour group over this issue, said: 'I'm very disappointed with this outcome. I still feel any cuts to fire cover will be possibly life-threatening.'
Fellow campaigner and borough Tory leader Myles Hogg said: 'The lobbying against this plan continues as far as I'm concerned.'
