Kent’s only St John’s Ambulance station has been earmarked for closure as the charity proposes huge cuts.
Four staff at the base in Ashford face being made redundant.
One employee there, who asked not to be named, told KentOnline the cuts will have a huge impact – and could result in overall ambulance response times increasing.
He says he feels “let down” by the charity after over six years of service.
“There are four of us in Ashford who are employed at St John’s and we could all lose our jobs,” he said.
“There used to be 12 of us but many have left due to the uncertainty over their future.”
The St John’s Ambulance First Aid Centre in Maidstone Road, Ashford, is one of 12 sites across the UK that bosses have proposed to shut down, with 48 jobs under threat amid an internal consultation.
The charity, primarily staffed by volunteers, provides first aid and responds to emergency calls.
However, bosses say they made the “difficult decision” last year to reduce their workforce after a drop in income since the pandemic.
The employee added: “The cuts are going to take 25 ambulances off the road across the country and is going to have a huge impact.”
He told KentOnline that the service in Ashford regularly assists South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) with emergency calls in Kent.
He added: “I’ve enjoyed every second of my job helping people – it’s why I got into the ambulance service.
“We do exactly the same as Secamb. We respond to 999 calls and a full range of emergencies.
“This is going to be a massive loss all over the country. Our NHS is a mess at the moment. Hospital waiting times are huge and making 50 staff redundant is going to have a big impact.
“When we go, it’s only going to be Secamb responding to these calls. People are not going to be getting the response times we need. This isn’t just Kent that going to be affected.
“I blame St John’s entirely for this.
“They have been in trouble financially for many years. A new management team came in and promised us the world and they have failed to deliver on any of it.”
Despite the cutbacks, St John’s bosses say they will continue to deliver lifesaving training, education and support to the community.
A spokesperson said: “In 2023 the charity announced that it was making the difficult decision to reduce its workforce after a drop in income year on year since the pandemic.
“As part of measures to support the sustainable future of our organisation, we are also closing some of our buildings that aren’t being used to their full potential, or that have high maintenance or running costs.
“This will enable the charity to continue to deliver the lifesaving training, education and support that it provides in the community and to its customers.
“Throughout the process, we are working with our volunteers and employees on the proposals, changes and the future continuity of delivery across the communities we serve.”
But the angry employee believes the cutbacks are “unfair” on the paid staff at the charity.
He went on: “I work four 12-hour shifts a week and I’ve been doing these hours for six years.
“They are selling the buildings and cutting staff to try and stay alive.
“Once everything has closed there will be 100 buildings left in the UK. There used to be 400.
“I understand why they are trying to keep the volunteers rather than paid employees but my fear is these volunteers sometimes don’t have anywhere near as much experience.”
Secamb declined to comment.