UNION members fear plans for a fire service shake-up in Weymouth could leave the town desperately short of firefighting resources.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service says Weymouth's existing station is out of date and wants to move it to the former Westhaven Junior School site in Radipole Lane.

The town's third fire engine could be scrapped and around 16 full-time firefighters given new community safety roles if the move goes ahead.

Fire Brigades Union acting brigade secretary Clem Snide said members were very worried about the proposed changes.

He said: "We fully support any community safety initiatives but we're opposed to any reduction in fire cover.

"What they're proposing is taking away 16 firefighters from Weymouth who would normally be there to serve the community. They want to take away a fire engine that, although it receives limited calls, is still being used for emergencies.

"The aerial ladder platform will also be downgraded from a 24-hour full-time appliance to a part-time service.

"It's very worrying. The importance of having sufficient fire engines cannot be underestimated."

The Dorset Fire Authority will consider the proposals for a new Weymouth Fire Station at a meeting on Thursday.

Chief Fire Officer Darran Gunter said the move and shake-up would not affect firefighting resources.

He said: "Weymouth is the only station in Dorset with three fire engines and the number of calls it receives doesn't warrant a third appliance. We want to use part-time staff from the engine to crew the town's aerial ladder platform.

"That will release full-time firefighters for our new community safety teams.

"Some people may have concerns about shift patterns, or where they'll be expected to work, but we're certainly not looking at making anybody redundant.

"None of these proposals will affect the staffing or any other issue associated with the effectiveness of the fire engine staffed by full-time firefighters."

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service bosses say the current North Quay site - built in 1939 - can no longer fulfil 21st century demands.

They say it is too small, plagued by access issues because of traffic and has no disabled access.

Recent repair work cost £85,000 and a further £284,000 will be required for maintenance by the end of 2008.

Mr Gunter is leading calls for a new state of the art community fire station in Radipole Lane.

The dual-purpose building would fulfil a preventative fire safety role as well as the more conventional role, offering interactive facilities such as a real fire demonstration feature.

Mr Gunter said: "The site is much bigger than our existing station, which isn't high enough or long enough for the aerial ladder platform.

"This way we can design a new station in a better location. It will be in the heart of the community rather than on a busy main road.

"During the last eight months we've had the worse run of fire deaths in Dorset in our history and we want to address that."

The new fire station, which would also boast meeting rooms and educational resources, would be paid for by the sale of the existing site and Government funds.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service are hoping to secure the Radipole Lane site within the next two months - which could see it operational by 2011.