MASSIVE changes are to happen to the fire service in south Buckinghamshire which, says fire chief Jeff Goddard, will improve cover and get fire engines to the scenes more quickly.

The changes involve the fire stations at High Wycombe, Marlow and Beaconsfield. There will be new stations at Marlow and High Wycombe and the station in Beaconsfield will be upgraded.

There will also be eight more full-time firefighters for the area.

The changes will come in first in Beaconsfield, in September with 24 fire officers' homes on the site sold to a housing association together with land for more homes.

Marlow changes will happen within the next year to 18 months, because the chief has a new site lined up to replace the present one off Cambridge Road.

High Wycombe's station in St Mary's Street, which Mr Goddard, Chief Fire Officer for Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire and Rescue, described as an eyesore, will be the last to be developed. The station will be sold and a new one built on the west of the town.

Rex Lingham-Wood, chairman of the fire authority, said: "We have worked long and hard to achieve this revised service provision for south Bucks and it is now all falling into place nicely."

The plans involved considerable changes for some fire officers, but they had all been agreed by the unions, said Mr Goddard.

At the moment firefighters at Beaconsfield only work during the day. Fire crew numbers will increase from 14 to 28, working a 24-hour shift system. Firefighters are moving to Beaconsfield from stations at Great Holme at Milton Keynes, and Aylesbury to take up the new jobs.

Marlow station is manned by retained firemen. The plan is to take on 28 full-time staff, 20 from High Wycombe fire station and eight new jobs. A new station is being built at a cost of about £1.5 million on land next to the Marlow International site, following a sale of the land by Akeler, the office and business park developers.

This means the service will be able to get to incidents, including road accidents, quickly said Mr Goddard. "This is a huge milestone for our plan to enhance the network of stations in the south of the county and will provide cover for the south of High Wycombe, Marlow and Bourne End.

High Wycombe fire station has 60 full-time firefighters, plus 12 retained firefighters. Retained officers will remain, and 20 full-timers will go to Marlow, leaving 40 full-time crew.

Mr Goddard said it should be easy to find a buyer for High Wycombe station in its prime town centre site.

The new station will cost about £2 million with costs expected to be covered by the sale of the old site.

Mr Goddard added: "What we have done is to spread out cover so you get the first engine quicker. There are shorter distances when this is in place.

He said the whole thing would not cost anything at the end of the day.

"I am very pleased it has all been done. We consider this to be a way of improving fire cover."