Liam Byrne has presented a petition to the House of Commons calling for Ward End Fire Station in Birmingham to be kept open, after more than 1,000 local people signed it.
The petition asks the government to work with West Midlands Fire Service and other bodies to save the station on Washwood Heath Road, which the Fire Brigades Union has warned could be closed and sold. Under the proposals, fire engines would move to the service's headquarters near the city centre and one vehicle's cover would be cut from 24 hours a day to daytime only.
Liam Byrne: 'Every single second counts'
Presenting the petition, the Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North MP said the Fire Brigades Union had been warning for months about "un-thought-through cuts" that put the station at risk.
"The wildfires that we had across the constituency over the course of the summer underline how every single second counts and why these plans are wrong, wrong, wrong," Liam Byrne told MPs. "They have not been discussed with the mayor; they are precipitate, and they need to be dropped now."
Residents fear a gap in cover
Petitioners say closure would leave a gap in fire cover for the area, with crews travelling further to reach emergencies and night-time cover reduced, putting both residents and firefighters at greater risk.
The wider proposals would also remove night-time cover at stations including Kings Norton, Bloxwich and Willenhall and take second fire engines off overnight duty at up to 11 more stations. West Midlands Fire Service says no decisions have been made and that the proposals remain subject to consultation with staff, the fire authority and the public.
"We know the fire service faces financial pressures. But residents' safety must come first," Liam Byrne has said. "No final decision has been made. So now is the time to make our voices heard."
