FIREFIGHTERS in Worcester are going to work 24-hour shifts - as bosses scrapped plans to controversially dump one full-time engine after a public outcry.

Your Worcester News can today reveal how a pioneering rescue plan has been hatched which will see fire crews in the city voluntarily be on site for 24-hour work patterns from May after serious concern job cuts could put lives at risk.

Under previous cuts Worcester Fire Station's two full-time engines would have reduced to one as part of a dual-city plan with Hereford to axe 28 jobs.

In October the fire authority approved plans to have Worcester's second engine staffed just 12 hours a day, relegating it to part-time status, with on-call workers having to come in from home during the night if it was needed.

Today's u-turn means:

- The second engine will now stay in place, with firefighters asked to take part in a 24-hour shift rota which will refresh daily

- Staff on the 24-hour rota will spend the first 12 hours on normal duties and the second half on-call for that second engine, relaxing in new high-quality accommodation on-site which will be built at a cost of £275,000 until an incident occurs during the night

- Each firefighter will have to sign a waiver to the European Working Time Directive, and in return will get a whopping 25 per cent pay rise for those extra 12 hours during the night

- The fire service say the move will mean engines can reach incidents around "four to five minutes" faster than would otherwise have been the case, potentially saving lives and nullifying concerns over the previous proposals

The idea, which is already common in the United States, was relatively unknown in the UK until last year but due to massive cuts in funding nationwide is now being used in around 20 other locations, and is known as 'day crew plus'.

It has also already been launched in Bromsgrove, and is working well.

The fire service says it asked workers to volunteer for it at stations in Worcester and Hereford and 66 staff said they'd accept, which is enough to operate it at both centres.

It comes at a time when around 44 firefighter roles are being slashed by 2020 and concern about the impact on response times.

The measure will cost around £555,000 in total to set up new living quarters at both sites, split equally, and extra wages of around £164,000 a year.

At Worcester Fire Station the first engine gets around 1,300 calls a year and the second one has around 400-600, although during the night it's two or three each week on average for that latter appliance.

Chief fire officer Mark Yates, who got unanimous backing from the councillor-led fire authority for it today, said: "This is a very important move not just for our staff but the community as well."

He said the Fire Brigades Union did not object to it, and over the last few weeks lots of firefighters have come forward to express an interest in doing the 24-hour stints.

The decision has come about after some Labour politicians on the fire authority, mainly Councillor Graham Vickery, asked Mr Yates to investigate any alternatives back in October to the previous plans.

At the time, the downgrading of the second appliance in Worcester sparked real controversy.

Cllr Vickery said: “I’d like to thank the chief fire officer and his team for their positive mindset, and the firefighters too for their determination to embrace change.”

Labour Councillor Richard Udall said: "This is great news for both Worcester and Hereford, last year we were facing cuts which were unpalatable.

"This is fantastic, it's got the support of firefighters and it's a far better solution."

Liberal Councillor Fran Oborski said: "I am really pleased that not only have you taken this on board, but that this report has come forward so quickly.

“The union has also been very helpful. I'm really pleased about this and hope it works well."

Mr Yates said the second engine at Worcester might get “three or four calls” one night but have nothing for the “next three days”, stressing that just over two calls a week was an average figure.

FIRE BRIGADES' UNION SAYS IT BACKS THE MOVE

SENIOR union officials in Worcester today revealed they had no objections to the move - saying it was a "better outcome for the public".

Steve Gould, secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) branch in Worcester said: "If we'd have been the first in the country to launch this we'd have objected but we're not, and more importantly it guarantees that second pump.

"We took a pragmatic approach. It's far better than having 12-hour fire engines in Worcester and Hereford which would not have been right for either city."

Under the policy, the most 24-hour shifts any firefighters could work in a row would be four consecutive days.

The new accommodation, which will be proper living quarters including beds, showering and eating facilities and television, will form part of the new Worcester Fire Station at Great Western Business Park off Tolladine Road.

This morning, bosses at the fire service said it would not be “luxurious”, but similar to very basic hotel accommodation so they can be comfortable.

Mr Yates said: “If we’re asking staff to have 12-hours on-call time on the site, as an excellent employer it’s vitally important we have adequate facilities so they can enjoy their rest and relax.”

After the meeting fellow fire chiefs said it was supremely important when the staff on 24-hour duty could rest, that they were able to do so.

The new fire station will also have storage areas, offices, lecture space and even training rooms for the Young Firefighters Association to encourage careers on the frontline and is due to be finished some time in the spring, ending a 70-year stint in Copenhagen Street.

It was approved by Worcester City Council's planners in September 2013, as we reported at the time, and we also revealed last month how the Copenhagen Street site was being sold to London based property developers under a deal worth upwards of £1 million to taxpayers.  

By May, an interim facility will be created at Copenhagen Street to ensure the ‘day crew plus’ team can operate properly and launch on time. The first fire engines at both Worcester and Hereford fire stations will operate as normal.

Of the 66 staff who volunteered to work the ‘day crew plus’ rota, 41 of them said they’ be prepared to work at Worcester and 49 at Hereford.

In terms of the extra wages, it means a firefighter on £28,000 a year would be earning a pro-rata rate of £35,000 for 12 hours of each 24-hour shift, for example, which is pensionable.