Martin Burrell's response (Letters, October 13) to firefighter Neil Graham's concerns about proposed changes to crewing arrangements at Shoreham Fire Station is nothing if not disingenuous.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Mr Burrell, but the majority of fire deaths occur at night - exactly the time when you're proposing to reduce the effectiveness of fire cover available to the people of Shoreham and Southwick.

Can you also explain how a reduction in a full-time crewed fire appliance at Shoreham (the first of many planned for the fire service all over the county and nationwide) fits with the proposed expansion of housing all over the South-East, with an increase in population?

Will the response fit the risk then?

Mr Burrell is correct when he infers that education and prevention is important but not at the expense of front-line services.

I thought that was what I paid my council tax for. It seems as if the fire service is destined to go down the same plughole the police and NHS have gone down under successive governments.

-Peter Martin, Southwick