Hamworthy fire station has been recommended to close after the fire service announced it has proposed to merge it with another station.
Of the eight Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) stations, Hamworthy is one of two stations that has been recommended to authority members to close, with plans to merge the station with Poole fire station.
A public consultation was held earlier this year to determine the future of four stations in Dorset: Charmouth, Cranborne, Hamworthy and Maiden Newton.
Under the recommendation, the station will merge with Poole through a 12-month trial period and the remaining three stations in the county will remain open.
Mid Poole & North Dorset MP Vikki Slade welcomed the decision.
She said: "Following the public consultation and extensive lobbying by me and my colleagues in Parliament, I am relieved to hear that the planned fire station closures will not be going ahead.
"During my meeting with the fire minister last month, I called for the funding of DWFRS to be lifted to the average of other fire and rescue services across the country, and this call has been answered.
"This means that Cranborne fire station will remain open and the firefighter's jobs at Hamworthy will be retained."
Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan has previously spoken out against the proposed closure of Hamworthy fire station.
"There’s already been a reduction in the service for the area," he said at a public meeting in March.
"This now adds to that reduction of service and people are worried about flooding, climate change, heath fires, and of course ordinary fires as well.
"If you take away the responsiveness of that service, the potential for serious concerns and damage goes up.
"There’s an issue there about services protecting the community."
Chief fire officer Andy Cole said: "As I have always said, if our financial position changes, my professional advice to the Fire & Rescue Authority would change.
"I am now in a position to change that advice."
He added: "Since I took the role of chief fire officer, I have been keen to modernise and create a fire and rescue service fit for the second half of the 21st century, because we must continue to adapt if we are to remain financially sustainable and operationally effective.
"The Government has also been clear that additional financial flexibility must be accompanied by a credible programme of modernisation."
The final recommendations and papers for the Fire & Rescue Authority meeting will be published on June 22.
Mr Duncan-Jordan said: "Thanks to the work we’ve done locally, I’ve received positive signals about funding from central Government.
"The fire officer has recognised the impact of the campaigning I've taken a lead on here in Poole. This shows that the effort we put in as a community – from the streets of Hamworthy to the floor of the House of Commons has made a difference.
"However, I’m deeply concerned that even the proposed compromise position won’t deliver a good enough service for Poole.
"The proposal is for Hamworthy Fire Station to merge with Poole for a 12‑month trial period, with the intention of avoiding redundancies and maintaining frontline services. While this reflects some progress, I have set out the following concerns to the Fire Officer:
"Response times — responding to Poole from Hamworthy could mean slower attendance after being alerted.
"Pressure on staff — this may create pressure for firefighters to rush to Poole station, increasing risk.
"Uncertainty after the trial — if the trial fails, what happens next?
"Impact on the Hamworthy site — what happens to the station during the 12‑month period?
"I’ve also spoken with colleagues in the Fire Brigades Union who are concerned that these proposals are not fully thought through. The service has not addressed practical issues such as whether all the vehicles, PPE and equipment from Hamworthy Station can be accommodated at Poole.
"I’ve raised these concerns with the Chief Fire Officer and want Poole residents to know that I will continue representing your concerns to the highest levels of Government.
"We’re in this together, and I won’t accept changes to local services that I believe could put the lives of local families or firefighters at risk."
The Fire Brigade Union has been contacted for further comment.
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