Dorset’s chief fire officer has praised village campaigners for playing a “pivotal” role in saving eight threatened fire stations - and says their efforts have helped him secure the chance to modernise the service instead of making “irreversible” cuts.
Andy Cole, Chief Fire Officer at Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, was speaking after recommending that all eight stations previously earmarked for closure - including Charmouth and Maiden Newton - now remain open, subject to an increase in the council tax flexibility next year.
He said months of lobbying from residents and MPs had turned a do‑or‑die battle over closures into an opportunity to invest.
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He told the Echo: “I’ve spoken publicly about our financial position for a long time. Some members of Parliament have now really come on board and opened doors for me that previously I wasn’t able to open, and that has led to a position I never expected us to be in back in February.
“I’m grateful to those members of Parliament. I’m grateful to the public that attended all of those public consultation meetings and have lobbied so hard and written to MPs to help get me into a position where I can make that case to government.”
Campaigns in villages such as Charmouth and Maiden Newton were central to that shift.
Residents formed action groups, staged stunts and packed public meetings, arguing that rural isolation, tourist traffic and vulnerable residents meant local cover was essential.
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Mr Cole singled out those efforts for praise.
He added: “Without them making constructive arguments and talking about funding and the position we find ourselves in, using the data and evidence we’ve compiled, I’ve no doubt their arguments have really helped to open doors."
He pointed to Maiden Newton’s suffragette‑themed protests and a recent demonstration in which villagers passed water buckets from the river to the fire station.
He continued: “Doing things that catch the attention, like the suffragettes and passing the buckets through the village, has helped us gain some traction with these conversations with government.
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“It’s been pivotal and an example of really good campaigns where the arguments have been constructive.”
The immediate threat of closure has been eased by a £1.8m one‑off grant from government linked to separate work on training and data, but Mr Cole stressed that the long‑term solution still hinges on securing extra flexibility over council tax and using it in 2027/28.
If that happens, he says, it will allow him to turn fully to a modernisation programme.
“The whole ethos of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is looking to the future, modernization and how we can make a service that’s fit for the 21st century,” he said.
“If you allow us to increase [the precept] slightly more, that would bring us in enough money to stabilise our finances.
"If that happens, I don’t have to close any fire stations and I can get on with the job of modernising and improving the service to meet the changing risks that communities face.”
He set out a vision of “the right people, the right equipment, the right buildings, the right technology in the right places”, including more specialist and rapid‑response vehicles alongside traditional fire engines.
He added: “We will be exploring opportunities for different types of vehicles to deal with different risks.
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“One of those things will include looking at opportunities for rapid response vehicles that can be crewed with fewer people and can respond more quickly to incidents where perhaps a traditional fire engine isn’t necessarily the right bit of kit.”
From heathland wildfires to flooding and road traffic collisions, he said, the service now has the data and evidence to match kit to risk.
He said: “I’m now saying keep all eight stations open and I’ll get on with the job that I want to do as a chief fire officer, to modernise and improve our service, rather than having to shrink it and make cuts."
