COUNTY Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service has launched a consultation on its plans for the next few years.

The fire brigade seeks the views of the public to help it make decisions on how it uses resources to prevent and respond to fires and other emergencies.

All fire and rescue services are told by the Government to produce a document called an Integrated Risk Management Plan containing information about local communities, the risks they face and what the service intends to do to manage those risks.

The County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service consultation started yesterday and runs for 12 weeks until March 6.

Chief Fire Officer Stuart Errington said: “The past few years have seen significant cuts to our Service and difficult decisions being taken about how we use our resources. As an organisation rooted in the communities, we serve it is important to us to take into account what people think about the impact of any changes we make.

We really value the views of our communities and would encourage everyone to have a look at our plans and complete our survey.”

A series of open events and online sessions during which fire officers will answer the public's questions will be held, and advertised on social media, and information is available on the website ddfire.gov.uk