It couldn’t have come at a better time with Toronto recently highlighted as one of the top arson hot spots in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

However, it is a temporary situation.

It is being staffed with permanent and retained fire fighters from Toronto Fire Station and permanent fire fighters from Waratah Fire Station, who were displaced while their station undergoes renovations.

Area commander metropolitan north chief superintendent Jim Smith said a 24-hour station could lead to better response times and better fire prevention strategies for the Toronto area.

He said the Toronto Fire Station responded to about 437 incidents in 2006/07, which did not justify it becoming a 24/7 staffed station – a station is manned ‘10/14’ when it responds to more than 500 incidents a year.

But with projected population figures for Toronto and Morisset in relation to the Lower Hunter Regional Strategy expected to increase significantly in the next 25 years, Mr Smith said Toronto had been flagged as a possible station to see the temporary situation go permanent.

The Lower Hunter Regional Strategy has Toronto sited as a shopping and business centre for the district, including health and professional services with medium and higher density residential.

So with more people would come more demand and therefore more use of essential services such as the Toronto Fire Station.

However, he said making the station a permanent 24-hour fire station would take a lot of negotiation with both state and local governments.

If it did become a permanent 24-hour service, Toronto would be the seventh station in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, alongside Belmont, Cardiff, Tingira Heights, Hamilton, Newcastle, Waratah and Mayfield West.