'Relief' as Harrogate retains two fire engines at night time after controversial plan is reversed

The question of the number of fire crews in Harrogate became a focus of political debate during last year's elections to the Mayor of York & North Yorkshire with one candidate claiming the original plans for changes "would put lives at risk".

Concern had been raised in 2022 when the then Tory Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner approved a Risk and Resource Model for Harrogate which involved night time cover in the town being reduced to one fire engine.

But North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service is now moving ahead with plans this week to upgrade the second fire engine in Harrogate from a tactical response vehicle suitable for smaller incidents to a full B-type fire engine.

The original proposal also meant the second fire engine was only crewed during peak demand periods in the daytime with no night-time cover.

But, following David Skaith’s election as Labour Mayor of York & North Yorkshire, a decision was made in November 2024 for it to be crewed during the daytime, between 8am and 6pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Area Manager Ben Illsley said: “This change means we will have two fully equipped fire engines based at Harrogate fire station.

"This change will broaden the scope of incidents the second fire engine can attend as well as ensuring its availability 24 hours a day.”

The new arrangements for Harrogate’s second fire engine are known as the day-crewed duty system, which is widely used in the fire and rescue sector to provide a flexible and efficient response.

It also means the crew will be available outside of daytime hours via an On-call system where firefighters carry an alerter.

The first fire engine at Harrogate will remain available 24/7, with no crew changes.

Both fire engines will be b type pumps or a Medium Rescue Pump (MRP) which can be used for a wide range of firefighting duties, from extinguishing fires to rescuing people and pumping floodwater.