The public consultation on proposed fire station closures ended at 5pm on Friday 15 May 2026.
An independent organisation, Premier Advisory Group, has been running the consultation and will write a full report for the Fire Authority. A final decision on whether fire stations will be closed will be made by elected Members on Tuesday 30 June 2026.
Background
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority must provide a fire and rescue service that keeps people safe. To help us do this well, we regularly check how our Service is working so we can use public money responsibly.
Over the past three years, we have looked at:
- how many incidents each station responds to;
- how removing a station might affect response times;
- how close each station is to another;
- how often on‑call fire engines are available; and
- how quickly nearby stations can help if needed.
From this first review, eight stations were identified for a closer look: Bradford on Avon, Charmouth, Cranborne, Hamworthy, Maiden Newton, Mere, Ramsbury and Wilton.
In the detailed analysis that followed (using data from 2019–2024), we investigated:
- how busy each station is;
- how fast and how often crews can respond;
- the financial impact of closing a station;
- whether nearby stations could cover the area;
- current and future risks in each community; and
- how our Service can meet changing needs.
The aim of these proposals is to strengthen the overall Service, use money wisely, and make sure we can continue to keep people safe across Dorset and Wiltshire.
The public consultation ran from Friday 13 February until 5pm on Friday 15 May 2026. It included public meetings and online sessions for every town/village affected, plus an online survey.
Thank you to everyone who took part in this process. Your views will now be collated into a full independent report by Premier Advisory Group, and will form part of the papers for consideration by the Fire and Rescue Authority when they meet on 30 June.
Further information
To view the papers for the Fire and Rescue Authority meeting, which took place on 10th February, click here.
Specific reports for each station under consideration can be found on the pages below:
The consultation leaflet can viewed or downloaded using this link.