When Bamber Bridge's fire station was threatened with the loss of its retained pump, local people were dismayed.

Fourteen jobs were in danger of being axed and fears were raised that lives could be put at risk.

The station, just off the A6 at Cuerden Way, is strategically placed so it can quickly respond to incidents in the town as well as on the motorway network.

This means that the wholetime engine – which is staffed by a full-time crew – is often called away as far as Blackburn or Chorley, responding to emergencies.

And if the second pump had been taken away, townsfolk would have had to rely on the appliances from Penwortham or Leyland.

But now, thanks to the relentless campaigning staff and local residents, the future of the station's second pump is secure.

Retained watch manager Tony Nickson says: "The fire authority had to make savings to balance the books and one of the ways to do this was to cut engines. But we were shocked when Bamber Bridge was listed as one of the stations which could be under threat.

"Preston is a growing city and there are new housing estates springing up all the time, so having the two engines here is a must if we want to respond quickly to incidents ."

Retained crews must either live or work within five minutes of the station so they can respond to emergencies immediately, and many of the dedicated staff at Bamber Bridge juggle protecting the public with holding down a full-time job.

Watch manager Nickson also works as a firefighter at the BAE Systems factory at Warton, and some of his retained colleagues work at BNFL's Springfields plant, Leyland DAF or other large local businesses.

He adds: "We don't just deal with house fires. There is also a lot of industry around here at Walton Summit and the South Rings Business Park.

"We are also called to deal with a lot of collisions on the three motorways."

Local residents, councillors and businesses rallied round the station, backing their call to keep the second pump.

Petitions were set up in shops and letters sent to the Fire Authority, urging them to thinks again.

Chinese takeaway Yu's Garden also collected a whopping 3,500 signatures from its customers.

Coun Tom Hanson, who represents Bamber Bridge West, said the decision to keep the second appliance was right.

"It's fantastic news for the town and we're all very glad the two appliances will be staying.

"They are a very busy crew who look after two industrial estates as well as the motorway and people living in Bamber Bridge itself.

"Keeping the two appliances will definitely save lives."

And less than a month ago their wish came true – the second appliance was saved.

A report produced for the authority concluded that of the seven pumps under threat, the Bamber Bridge appliance was used most often and would have the biggest impact on local people if it was withdrawn from service.

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said the decision to keep the engine was taken after listening to the views of local people.

"We were consulting with people across Lancashire and we listened to what they had to say. We are grateful for the feedback we received about the appliance at Bamber Bridge and believe that keeping the second engine was the right thing to do."