OKEHAMPTON town councillors are calling for a consultation meeting in the town over proposed cuts to the town’s fire service.

There are 25 public meetings taking place across Devon and Somerset to outline the controversial proposals.

However, Okehampton is not on the list, despite being targeted to lose one of its two fire crews during the day.

Mayor Julie Yelland, speaking at the town council meeting on Monday last week (July 29), said: ‘Why is there no public consultation event in Okehampton about this, when we are so close to the moors and the dual carriageway?’

She was speaking after firefighter Terry Reynolds, crew manager at Okehampton Fire Station, gave a presentation detailing the proposed cuts aimed at saving £8.4-million over three years.

Mr Reynolds admitted he ‘did not know why’ the authority was not putting on a meeting in the town.

He suggested the town council flag up to the public that they could give their comments online.

The full proposals and a form in which the public can give their comments online by September 22 can be found at www.dsfire.gov.uk on the home page under the title Safer Together.

The proposed cuts, affecting fire stations across Devon and Somerset, could lead to one of Okehampton’s two fire engines, staffed by on-call crew, being grounded during the day.

As well as shutting eight fire stations altogether, the fire service is suggesting that many others lose a fire engine or see one grounded during daylight hours.

The savings will be used to fund six additional ‘roving appliances’ staffed by full-time firefighters to travel to wherever there is most need.

However, Cllr Jan Goffey said she was concerned about these fire engines not being able to get to the town in at times when there was a lot of congestion, particularly during the summer months.

She said: ‘We know what the M5 and the A30 get like in the summer and only a few days ago the A30 was completely blocked and traffic was coming through the town.

‘It would be interesting to know where these mobile fire crews will be located. How are they going to cope?’

Mr Reynolds said he did not know where the appliances would be located but that the technology the fire service had would be used to direct them to the best place.

‘The system basically knows where the fire appliances are at all times,’ he said.

He earlier told councillors that the crews based at Okehampton Fire Station attended 250 callouts a year, ‘so there are not many days when we don’t have anything,’ he said. ‘I thought it was really important that people get advice’.

Councillors voted to set up a working party to go through the fire authority’s proposals carefully before making their comments.

Cllr Michael Ireland said: ‘This is so important to the community. People’s lives are being put is risk here.’

Cllr Goffey suggested that a link be put on the town council website to the online consultation to make it easier for people in the town to give their views to the fire authority.

Cllr Vachon said: ‘I think it is our job to publicise this.’

A Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson suggested people in Okehampton concerned about the cuts should go to open meeting in Tavistock on Monday (August 12).

‘We have arranged 25 public consultation events across Devon and Somerset, focused on the areas where fire stations are proposed to close and supported by events in each local authority area,’ he said.

‘There is an event at Tavistock Library on Monday, August 12 from 11am-3pm and people can send us their comments through our website www.dsfire.gov.uk.’