In your leader headlined "Fire protection a burning issue" (The Argus, December 8) about West Sussex County Council Fire and Rescue Service proposing to change the crewing arrangements at Shoreham Fire Station, you pose the question: "What happens when, despite all the education to cut the risks of fire, a tall building near the station goes up in flames?"

The answer is this: Firefighters will attend properties in the Shoreham town area within ten minutes of the emergency call. That is what the standard is today - and that is what it will be should the proposals be given the go-ahead.

I certainly endorse your comment: "Fire prevention is an important message which can cut the number of deaths through fire."

National statistics indicate that if a fire breaks out in a room where a person is located, they probably have about four minutes before they suffocate.

To save that life, the service must receive the call, mobilise, attend the incident, carry out the rescue - all within that four-minute time frame.

It is highly unlikely this is a viable option to contemplate, which is why we must develop wider strategies for prevention, particularly in areas of social deprivation.

-Martin Burrell, County Fire Officer, West Sussex County Council Fire and Rescue Service