Fire chiefs have agreed to press ahead with plans to move a fire crew out of Durham City.
The change, which will initially be carried out on a trial basis, will see the engine shifted to Spennymoor - although bosses added a sweetener in the form of an extra firefighter for the remaining team at the city station.
The decision is part is part of a wider overhaul of staffing at fire stations in County Durham and Darlington to cut costs.
The brigade is facing a £460,000 funding shortfall in 2020/21 and this is currently expected to rise to £1.531m by 2022/23.
But changes to current 'day crewing plus' arrangements are also planned for Seaham and Newton Aycliffe to ensure the brigade doesn't fall foul of workplace redtape.
"There will be six firefighters at Durham, instead of five," assistant Chief Fire Officer Dominic Brown told today's meeting of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority (CDDFRA)
"That allows us to provide a targeted response to certain types of incident.
"By keeping six staff at Durham, we believe it is a better way of mitigating some of the concerns we've found.
"We will continue to look for a solution to the day crewing plus, but if we cannot have that we will continue to work with the FBU to find an alternative."
Fire chiefs had been forced to find an alternative to 'day crewing plus' arrangements - in which firefighters work 7am-7pm and outside these hours they stay in nearby accommodation so they can respond quickly to night incidents - following a legal challenge in South Yorkshire which ruled it did not comply with the European Working Time Directive.
The proposed solution to this, which was put out to public consultation last year (2018) was to switch to 'day crewing' at Seaham and Newton Aycliffe and move one of Durham's two 'whole time' crews to Spennymoor.
It was proposed to have five firefighters based at Durham, but revised plans agreed by the fire authority for a year-long trial to start in April, will see this upped to six.
The plans prompted some unease from authority members, but fire officers' recommendation were accepted.
Durham councillor Mamie Simmons said: "I'm disappointed about what's happening in Durham.
"We've got three prisons, a major hospital, historic buildings and I think we're cutting it very fine.
"I'm pleased you're giving Durham an extra member of staff, but I'm also very worried, it's a very important city."
Coun John Robinson, the fire authority's chairman, said: "We must appreciate changes to fire service cover are always controversial - our whole raison d'etre for fire services is to protect life.
"But officers have listened carefully to responses and amended concerns.
"Out predicted financial position is very challenging, but a trial is a trial and only for six months."
Coun Robinson added fire authority bosses had offered to meet union officials regularly to updates them on the progress of the trials.
And he also revealed Durham's Coun Richard Bell and Darlington's Coun Heather Scott, leaders of their respective Conservative Party council groups, had offered to lobby police and fire services minister Nick Hurd.
CFO Errington said staff affected by changes to 'day crewing plus' stations would continue to be paid their current full allowances for a year, while those who 'travel some distance' to work could also be allowed to keep using on-site accomodation.
