FIRE union bosses are warning that someone could die if a cost-cutting exercise goes wrong.

They fear the plans, which are designed to save £500,000-a-year, could go up in smoke - and have grave concerns about the possible effect on life.

Since March, many fire and rescue services across the country have been sending just one engine to all automatic fire alarm calls.

And now, Lancaster and Morecambe will do the same as the countrywide initiative kicks in.

Nine times out of 10, the calls prove to be false alarms - but the Fire Brigades Union fears that one day there may be a real emergency.

The concern is that one unit would not be enough to cope with a blaze - and by the time a back-up unit arrived it would be too late.

This year Lancaster fire station has responded to 44 fire alarms at the university alone - among the highest number of calls to one site in the country.

The FBU's Duncan Milligan told the Citizen: "This is nothing but a cost-cutting measure. The Brigade hopes to save around £500,000-a-year but all it would take is one big fire in a school or a factory and there could be £4 or £5 million damage - and possibly a death - so what would the saving be worth?

"This is a policy decided between the Government and fire authorities, and while I appreciate the need to cut costs this is not the way to do it.

"Yes, most of the automatic fire alarms are a false alarm - but our members do not set out to answer false alarms.

"There is a difference between a risk and a gamble. There is a risk every time an engine goes out - but only sending one is a gamble. It could be a gamble with a life.

"Instead of taking this gamble, we believe that more money should be invested in better fire alarms."

But the Lancashire County Fire and Rescue Service has played down the concerns, with spokesman John Taylor saying: "We do not believe there is a risk in this.

"Places like nursing homes and the university will still be treated as high priority but we are working on risk assessment and fire prevention.

"If we continue to send two pumps to each automatic alarm and it turns out to be a false alarm we could miss a real emergency elsewhere.

"In the last three years, Lancashire crews attended 21,897 calls to automatic fire alarms - but only 1.6 per cent of those required further action.

"We will still send two pumps to an alarm where a fire is confirmed and between 9pm and 8am - the high risk times - vulnerable premises like hospitals and nursing homes will still get two pumps.

"There is also flexibility for local crews to send two pumps if they believe there is a risk."