Station to remain with 3 full time firefighters

Portadown Fire Station will remain manned by three full time firefighters and on call firefighters, despite an increase in call times.

This comes after the service was reduced from five full time firefighters last year.

Armagh Fire Station which was also reduced to three full time firefighters, will have their staff back to five after an increase in call times.

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Ulster Unionist MLA Julie Flaherty said she was concerned and disappointed that Portadown will remain with just three full time firefighters.

Paying tribute to them, she said: “This is why the Ulster Unionist Party brought our Notice of Motion forward to Council back in August 2019 and have repeatedly called for the implementation of 3-5 year indicative budgets that will allow for true transformation and a safe and effective service.

Welcoming the decision on Armagh, she said: “I am still disappointed and a little concerned that despite a slight increase in response times in the Portadown area, there will be no further operational changes to this “interim” model.”

A NI Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “The ISDM was introduced in August 2019 and will last until at least the end of the financial year. As part of it, six Fire Stations across NI, including Portadown and Armagh, were moved to Nucleus Crewing. This is where three Wholetime Firefighters carry out their duties, including prevention and protection work, and are supported by On-Call colleagues when responding to an incident. To continue providing a safe and effective service to every part of the council area Portadown Fire Station will continue to be staffed by a Nucleus Crew and we will introduce a Community Risk Management Initiative in Armagh from 2 March. This initiative will strengthen our vital prevention work. Five Wholetime Firefighters will carry out a targeted programme of work aimed at those most at risk between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday while also responding to incidents.”

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