West Sussex County Council Fire and Rescue Service is proposing to change the crewing arrangements at Shoreham Fire Station - which has a comparatively low call out rate - as part of an on-going countywide modernisation programme.

The move will also release more firefighters to carry out local fire safety and prevention programmes in and around Shoreham. This is in line with the Service's countywide policy of putting greater emphasis on preventing fires and other emergencies to cut down deaths and injuries.

The Service is proposing the station be staffed by full-time firefighters during the busiest call out times, between noon and midnight from Monday to Friday.

Retained firefighters - who undergo the same training as their full-time colleagues and will live within four minutes of the station - will crew the station at all other times.

Martin Burrell , County Fire Officer, said this system of fire station staffing is not new and similar crewing arrangements are already worked at fire stations in East Grinstead and at Haywards Heath, which has a much higher call out rate than Shoreham.

Shoreham Fire Station's call out rate continues to go down, said Mr Burrell, and is, for example, much lower than Littlehampton Fire Station, which is staffed entirely by retained firefighters.

"The advantage of changing the crewing is that more personnel will be available to carry out community safety programmes - educating people about fire safety, checking smoke alarms, carrying out fire safety checks.

"In other words: we're putting in an increasing amount of expertise and resources into preventing fires and other emergencies."

The number of full-time firefighters at Shoreham will go down from 28 to 10, however no one will lose their jobs.

Said Mr Burrell: "They will be offered jobs in other parts of the Service. We'll be retaining our resources and using their expertise elsewhere."

Lionel Barnard , West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: "When Shoreham Fire Station was originally established, the role of the Fire and Rescue Service was much different. Then, the emphasis was on protecting property not people.

"That is no longer the case. Now people come first. And prevention is a key component of that policy. Under these proposed arrangements, we will see Shoreham Fire Station geared to meeting 21st century needs."