Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Warning from the rescuers’ union boss that went unheeded
THE Fire Brigades Union had warned that the public “would pay the price” for axing firefighters. The number of deaths from fires in the home increased by 17.4% between April 2015 and March 2016, said Home Office figures. This meant there were 34 more fatalities than in the previous year. The average response time to primary fires has increased by 31 seconds since 2010, the report said. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said earlier this year: “Firefighters are doing their best to provide a world class service but the government have compromised the service by axing thousands of posts, closing fire stations and cutting equipment. “It is the public who will pay the price of the government’s folly. “The decision to prioritise budget cuts ahead of public safety is another example of how out of touch this government is.
EMERGENCY
“In a fire, every second counts. Those extra seconds might not sound like long, and ministers will try to dismiss them, but in an emergency, that time can be the difference between life and death.” As a result of government cuts 10,000 frontline fire fighter jobs have gone since 2010 – that is one in six. Stations, 140 appliances and equipment have also been cut. In Greater London, 1,103 fire fighter posts were axed from 2010 to 2016 and a further 232 were cut last year. The 35,000-strong FBU says it has plunged the fire and rescue service into a state of crisis. Meanwhile, the Unite union said it was essential that the hundreds of people made homeless are quickly rehoused locally in secure and affordable accommodation. The union said: “The Government must move fast and no talk of lack of money can be accepted. “Unite has members who live in Grenfell Tower. We are doing our utmost to locate them, and to offer every support. Members are mobilising collections for essentials. We need to rally around this devastated community.”