As part of the On-Call Improvement Programme, changes are being made to how our fire engines are used and distributed across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.
These changes are designed to improve the reliability of our Service and ensure our resources are aligned to the risks in our communities.
What was decided
In March 2026, the Fire Authority approved changes to our On-Call fire engines following a public consultation.
This includes:
- The removal of six On-Call fire engines from service at:
- Great Missenden
- Stokenchurch
- Winslow
- Waddesdon
- Haddenham
- Princes Risborough
- The repositioning of specialist vehicles to better match operational risk.
- A greater focus on improving the availability and reliability of the remaining fleet.
These changes reflect long-standing challenges in crewing some On-Call fire engines consistently.
Fire engine locations before and after the programme
We have produced maps to show how fire engines and specialist vehicles are currently distributed across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, and how this will change as part of the On-Call Improvement Programme.
These maps are intended to help illustrate the overall changes to our fleet and how resources will be aligned more closely to risk and availability.
Current fleet (as at March 2026)
This map shows the current distribution of fire engines and specialist vehicles across the Service.
It includes:
- Wholetime and On-Call fire engines.
- Specialist vehicles such as water rescue units and turntable ladders.
- Stations crewed by wholetime firefighters, On-Call firefighters, or a combination of both.
Maps are indicative and provided for illustrative purposes.
Proposed fleet (On-Call Improvement Programme)
This map shows how the fleet will change following implementation of the programme.
It reflects:
- The removal of six On-Call fire engines.
- Changes to how some vehicles are crewed.
- The repositioning of specialist vehicles to better match operational risk.
Maps are indicative and provided for illustrative purposes.
Why changes are needed
Some On-Call fire engines have not been consistently available for several years due to difficulties in recruiting and retaining On-Call firefighters.
This means that neighbouring stations are often already providing emergency response in these areas.
The changes we are implementing aim to:
- Make better use of available resources.
- Improve overall reliability of response.
- Ensure fire engines are based where they can be crewed more consistently.
What this means for response
Emergency response will continue to be provided across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.
Fire engines from neighbouring stations will continue to respond to incidents as they do now.
The focus of this programme is to improve the availability of fire engines that can respond when needed, rather than relying on resources that are not consistently crewed.
We will continue to monitor response performance as changes are implemented.
Current position
We are in the early stages of implementing the agreed changes.
This includes:
- Planning how fire engines will be removed or reallocated.
- Reviewing how specialist vehicles are best deployed.
- Ensuring that operational cover remains effective during the transition.
- Some details, including exact timings and locations of changes, are still being finalised.
We will provide further updates as this work progresses.
Updates
April 2026
We have started planning the reallocation of fire engines and specialist vehicles as part of the implementation phase of the programme.
Future updates will be added to this page as decisions are made and changes are implemented.
Related information
- What happens next
- Improving the On-Call service