Bingara Fire Station closure "failed", MP Adam Marshall said, but FRNSW said no decision has been made

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said in a statement the Bingara Station closure was a "failed" attempt by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW).

He said he confirmed with the deputy premier and emergency services minister that Bingara Fire Station would remain open.

But, a spokesperson from FRNSW said no decision on the future of the station has been made.

Gwydir Shire Council was given notice that the station faced the threat of closure in late-2022, mayor John Coulton told the Leader.

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Council was told the reason for the closure was because of a limited number of recruits, but the mayor said FRNSW seemed to the lack desire to recruit.

At one stage five people wished to join "and they never gave them a medical".

It cost FRNSW $2 million in a 12-month period to keep the station running because of the lack of retained staff, he said.

He said the deputy superintendent told council that fires in Bingara could be serviced from the Warialda station.

"A house burns down in seven minutes, and it's over 20 minutes from Warialda. That's if they were in the vehicle ready to go. It's ludicrous," he said.

Fire brigades identified an additional 30 stations across NSW that could be closed, based "purely" on cost, country sub-branch representative of the Fire Brigade Employees Union Tim Anderson said.

Inflation is a lot higher than the budget rises for brigades, he said.

"That has now got to the point where the fire brigade is basically chopping off fingers and toes," he said.

He said they are looking at areas where costs can be reduced and the political fallout to the government is less.

"That's why they're looking at a lot of regional stations that are struggling," he said.

He said he thinks politicians are treating the issue seriously because of the March election.

"My concerns are that once the election is done and dusted, they will close these stations because they realise that they have another three or four years for the general public to get used to it," he said.

Mr Marshall told the Leader a decision to close the station has not been made, and "therefore it's remaining open".

He said the minister for emergency services is the only one that can make the decision to close it, and the minister is not closing the station.

"FRNSW wanted to shut the station, that is not going to happen. There isn't a decision pending, or a decision to be made. There is no change to the status quo," he said.

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