Cuts to fire stations in Wiltshire have been called "undoubtedly the most significant attack on firefighters in living memory".
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority - which is comprised of 18 councillors from Swindon, Wiltshire, Dorset, and Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole councils - will meet on Tuesday to decide the fate of four fire stations.
Bradford on Avon, Mere, Ramsbury, and Wilton all face the axe.
MP Brian Mathew, whose constituency includes Bradford on Avon, said the potential closure: "raises concerns for my constituents in Bradford on Avon.
"The questions of increased call-out times and capacity to deal with multiple fires must be addressed before proceeding with station closures."
While putting pressure on the Chief Fire Officer, he said the government had to "look at the funding model for Fire and Rescue Services as the Revenue Support Grant has been declining in real terms and is forecast to decline further.
"Money has been tightened year on year, and a lack of Government support is now necessitating the closure of stations to achieve balanced budgets," he said.
Two unions will be outside the meeting at Salisbury City Hall tomorrow protesting the closure.
Barney Hedgecock of the Fire Brigades Union Dorset and Wiltshire, said: "Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue service is already severely overstretched and under-resourced.
"The raging Holt Health wildfire this summer should have been a stark warning that the service needs urgent investment to face increasing extreme weather events.
Firefighters work tirelessly to keep communities safe, but the reality is that cuts and station closures put lives at greater risk.
"Fewer firefighters and fire engines available will mean slower response times to emergencies, at times when every second counts.
"The FBU is calling on the fire authority to reject these disastrous proposals. The council and fire service leaders must put public safety first and stop these cuts.”
And Tristan Ashby, chief executive of the Fire and Rescue Services Association, said: "Firefighters in Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have been shocked and appalled at management proposals to close eight fire stations and sack 71 of their colleagues.
"This is undoubtedly the most significant attack on firefighters in living memory and comes at a time when services are fully stretched as a result of wildfires and previous cuts.
"To add insult to injury, firefighters and their representative bodies have only been given a week to review the proposals and make their views known to fire authority members.
"The fire authority must reject the proposal to go out to consultation until such time that firefighters and their representative bodies have had an opportunity to assess them and propose alternatives."
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Even members of the committee who will take tomorrow's decision have sought to explain themselves.
Statement from Cllr Boaz Barry, the Reform UK Wiltshire councillor for Westbury North, said: "I am honoured to serve as a councillor on the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
"It is therefore deeply unsettling that we now find ourselves in a position where eight fire stations must close in order to keep the Authority’s finances stable.
"This has not been an easy decision for anyone, and I have real sympathy for the firefighters, staff, volunteers and communities affected.
"I want to be clear that I have full confidence this process has been driven by detailed data, risk modelling and operational evidence, with the aim of delivering the lowest possible risk to residents across Wiltshire and Dorset.
"Officers and staff have worked tirelessly to identify the safest and most responsible outcome in extremely challenging circumstances.
"However, these decisions do not happen in a vacuum. A new central government funding formula is removing around £102 million from fire and rescue authorities nationally, at a time when demand has increased by roughly 20 per cent over the past decade, and our population continues to grow and age rapidly.
"Locally, precept increases have also failed to keep pace with inflation. In that environment, difficult cuts become unavoidable.
"I, along with Reform UK colleagues, firmly believe that strong, properly funded fire and rescue services are a cornerstone of safe, resilient communities."
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