Merseyside’s fire service needs to save £5m. One of the answers is a controversial shift pattern. Ben Schofield reports

EVERY fire station in Merseyside could be assessed to see if it can be “downgraded” to save money, city fire officers confirmed last night.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) needs to save £5m over the next three years to balance its books.

It wants to roll out a controversial working pattern that will see fire fighters working 96-hour shifts as part of its money-saving plans.

The fire authority will be asked to agree to a “root and branch” appraisal of all stations when it sets the service’s budget on Thursday.

Firefighters fear up to four stations will be made to adopt the so-called Low Level Activity Risk (LLAR) system.

Six stations have already gone LLAR, the most recent of which was Belle Vale.

They are only staffed between 10am and 10pm by a crew of firefighters who live in nearby accommodation and remain on call through the night.

Because crews live up to two minutes from their stations, it is claimed lives are at risk.

New fears have also emerged after the service revealed plans to ask LLAR firefighters to take on first aid duties from the ambulance service in a “co-responder” arrangement.