PROPOSED cuts to the fire service are 'potentially dangerous' and could put lives at risk, according to a local fire commander.

Watch commander Saul Bolton has criticised plans to reduce the number of fulltime firefighters in Malvern from 12 to seven.

These 'whole time' firefighters provide a 'guaranteed' response 24 hours a day, according to Mr Bolton.

He said fire cover in Malvern during the nights and weekends currently consists of one on-call fire crew, which is made up of fulltime firefighters, and another retained fire crew.

Under the plans, the cover provided by fulltime firefighters at night will be taken over by retained fire crew members.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service will also hire 16 part-time staff to replace the fulltime firefighter cover on weekends.

Mr Bolton said: "The difference is we are 'guaranteed'.

"Whole time firefighters cannot book off call so response is always 100 per cent guaranteed.

"The retained firefighters can't be guaranteed because of other commitments, such as their jobs.

"The retained firefighters provide good support to the fulltime crew but it is a fact that they have less training, less skills and less local knowledge of the main risks and topography of our area.

"The retained firefighters are not trained in rope rescue or water first responder - as the fulltime firefighters are - so these disciplines will not be available."

He added that there have been 100 occasions in Malvern this year where the retained firefighters have not be available.

"We are concerned about these proposals not just as serving firefighters but as very concerned local town residents," he said.

He added that none of the firefighters will lose their jobs as they will be redeployed elsewhere.

Cllr Sarah Rouse, leader of the Democratic Group in Malvern Hills District Council, said the fire service is 'glossing over' the main changes.

"At the moment we have on-call for evenings and weekends - a crew that will always turn out," she said.

"Retained crews do not always turn out and so we are left with waiting for crews from another station.

"I think it's dangerous and we shouldn't be putting people's lives at risk. The people of Malvern deserve to be safe 24 hours a day.

"The retained firefighters are wonderful...[but] there could be an occasion where they can't crew an appliance and we have to wait for an engine from elsewhere."

A Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "Our on-call (retained) firefighters are fully trained to the same standard as whole time staff and are able to respond to any kind of emergency situation."

The spokesman added that the fulltime firefighters can take up these evening contracts and said retained firefighters currently have a 99.6 percent availability at night.

Malvern will be a 'strategic station' under the new proposals, which means there will be another fire engine in the area if neither of the town's appliances are available.

The spokesman also said that the changes mean there will be an increased number of firefighters in the station during the day.

The cuts have been proposed as part of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service's plans to save £1.6m by 2020.

A petition has been set up to oppose the cuts, you can sign it on http://bit.ly/2r0mqrn