FIREFIGHTERS in Rhyl are to hold a protest against plans to change the town’s fire station from a 24/7 service to a day staffing system.

In late July, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS) started an online consultation period, running until September 22, proposing three options in its “Emergency Cover Review”.

All three options involve Rhyl and Deeside’s stations changing to a day staffing system, as part of the service’s plans to improve emergency cover in Corwen, Dolgellau and Porthmadog.

Last month, two of the options were scrapped, and while this secured the future of five fire stations in Gwynedd, Anglesey and Conwy, Rhyl and Deeside’s bases remain at risk of being downgraded.

Gavin Roberts, crew manager at Rhyl Fire Station, has organised a protest against the plans, to be held at the station on Saturday, December 9 from 11am until 1pm.

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The final decision-making meeting of the Fire and Rescue Authority will then take place on December 18.

Any changes agreed then will be enforced in a phased approach from April 2024 onwards.

Mr Roberts, who has been based in Rhyl as a firefighter for roughly a decade and started a petition to try to save the fire station, previously called the plans “unacceptable”.

He said: “The public are still coming up to us and saying they didn’t realise that the station is under threat of closure at night, so we need to make everyone aware and get them involved.

“Everyone’s welcome; Deeside Fire Station has already had a protest, which seemed to go well.

“The Fire Brigades Union campaign bus is coming, and hopefully as many local politicians as possible. We’re just trying to build it up from here, really.

“Rhyl and Deeside’s fire stations have to stay open 24/7. The union met with the fire authority for the first time last week, but if that had happened at the beginning, these options wouldn’t be on the table, and we could have worked together to come up with different options.

“We’re hoping to get the fire authority to see that there are still other options available. It might only take an hour, or an hour-and-a-half, of protesting to get the publicity we need.”

Mr Roberts, who said his idea for a protest was borne out of necessity, said downgrading Rhyl’s station could cause delays of up to eight to 10 minutes, in scenarios where “every second counts”.

His petition, which has nearly 2,000 signatures, can be signed at: petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/245542.

He is a representative for the Fire Brigades Union, and has set up a Facebook page for his campaign, also called “Save Rhyl Fire Station”.

Duncan Stewart-Ball, Fire Brigades Union regional secretary for Wales, said last month: “We are still facing a serious downgrading of fire cover in Rhyl and Deeside.

“This will certainly impact fire cover across our region, and still threatens to put lives and homes at risk.”