A CONSULTATION over the future of Wiltshire's fire service is set to close on October 20 with the possibility of the county’s fire service being merged with Dorset's.

Wiltshire Fire and Rescue service may be forced to make savings of almost £4million each year by 2018 due to cuts in central government funding.

Wiltshire's fire authority claims it is one of the most cost-effective in the country but explains in its consultation leaflet that without savings the expected cuts could threaten front-line services.

Options presented in the consultation include increasing cooperation between Swindon and Wiltshire's fire services and their respective councils while remaining independent, increasing collaboration with Dorset Fire Authority but remaining independent and merging the two fire authorities to create a single Wiltshire and Dorset area.

Chair of Wiltshire & Swindon Combined Fire authority Councillor Christopher Devine has been following the consultation closely.

He said: “The public consultation is going well and on schedule, with a high level of interest being shown. I do not have the luxury of a personal preference and I will join the remainder of my CFA colleagues in making a decision in November.”

North Wiltshire MP James Gray said that the merger was a bad idea and that savings had to be made in other areas, by cutting the highest salaries and by reducing other non-essential spending.

He said: “Right from the beginning I said that I didn’t approve of the merging of Wiltshire and Dorset’s fire services.”

“I have had meetings with the fire chief and several discussions and he hasn’t explained to me why there will be significant savings from this.”

Mr Gray suggested that Wiltshire's fire service could also save money on their headquarters building, which he said looked like an old Cotswold stone manor and suggested that if both fire chief roles could be handled by one person after the merger one of the current chiefs must be underemployed.

Wiltshire Councillor for Minety Chuck Berry agreed that a combined ‘blue light service’ would cut costs and might see training given to all emergency services put to better use.

He said: “The fire service has all sorts of capabilities but police, fire and ambulance are trained in what to do if there is a road traffic accident.”

He added that throughout Wiltshire, as with many other counties, fire crews stationed at airfields might be able to step up to fill the gap left by cuts to services.

Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service employ just over 600 people with a budget of £25million.

They currently have 24 fire stations, one crewed by full-time firefighters, five crewed by full-time and on-call firefighters and 18 crewed by on-call firefighters.