Fire stations face reduced cover under new plans

Fourteen fire stations across the West Midlands could be affected by proposed cuts to front-line fire cover.

The proposals include closing and relocating Ward End Fire Station in Birmingham, removing night-time cover at Bloxwich, Willenhall and Kings Norton, and reducing the overnight availability of second fire engines at up to 11 other stations.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) warned that the changes could harm public safety and questioned whether sufficient operational modelling had been provided to assess the impact on emergency response times.

However, West Midlands Fire Service said no decisions had been made and changes were needed to reprioritise cover.

The union general secretary Steve Wright said the region had experienced wildfires and major incidents during the summer of 2026, including the fire in Stourbridge which led to the loss of 19 homes.

He said: "When people dial 999, they expect a fire engine to arrive quickly, not to be told their local station has been downgraded or closed.

"These proposals would put our members under greater pressure, leave fire crews covering larger areas with fewer resources, and put the public at risk."

The changes could affect communities across Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Coventry City councillor Ed Ruane, who represents Henley Ward and sits on the region's fire authority, said the review was about realigning resources rather than cutting them.

He said the service faced challenges including an ageing estate, a changing risk landscape and a lack of capital funding.

"These changes are not being considered in order to fill a hole in the budget, but to allow investment in new training facilities, safer, more modern fire stations and to make more resources available during the daytime and busier summer months when the service knows risk and demand is greatest," Ruane said.

One option under consideration in Coventry would increase staffing at the city's fire station by four firefighters. Councillor Ruane said this could allow a Brigade Response Vehicle to be upgraded to a fully crewed fire engine, reducing the need to move resources into the city from elsewhere.

West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority was due to report back on its scrutiny of the proposals on 14 December, when it would decide which options should proceed to public consultation between January and March 2027.

The FBU said it had begun engaging authority members and local MPs, and was arranging meetings with affected branches to develop its formal response.

A West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson said the plans were "initial, data-led ideas" being discussed with staff and could change following their feedback.

It said any suggestion the changes had been decided was "unhelpful speculation".

"This is a process to be carried out correctly, not quickly, and as such we are taking a phased approach starting with our staff. To comment on specifics ahead of confirmation of proposals by West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority for public consultation would be premature," the service said.

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