FIRE chiefs have imposed a new shift pattern which will see the second pump at Barnsley brought back into to service.
The South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority has instructed the implementation of a new, voluntary shift system for 28 of the county's 650 firefighters to enable the engine at Barnsley to be re-introduced.
In April the fire service, which had not replaced retiring firefighters, wanted to introduce the new staffing system because it said there were not enough firefighters to crew all its engines.
Fire Brigades Union members challenged the new system, saying it would have a detrimental impact on pensions but the authority has instructed its implementation anyway.
Managers are hoping to work jointly with firefighters and the union to return the fire engines to service later this year.
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated July 11. **
