‘Lives put at risk’ by fire service cuts – union boss
WARNING OVER ‘NEVER-ENDING’ REDUCTIONS
A union has turned up the heat on fire bosses after further cuts were made.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned lives are being put at risk by the introduction of a policy to crew fire appliances in Tyne and Wear with just four firefighters.
The change was introduced at four stations in January, and has now been rolled out across Tyne and Wear’s other five stations.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service says the first phase of the change has been ‘effective’, but the FBU has called the move – introduced by the Tyne and Wear Fire Authority – ‘dangerous’.
The union points to the recent blaze at the former Alex Smiles recycling depot, in the Deptford area of Sunderland, which saw 13 appliances and 48 firefighters in attendance. They say that left the rest of Tyne and Wear with just eight fire appliances and 40 firefighters ready to respond to other incidents, and there could now be fewer resources still.
The model sees two fire appliances removed from duty between midnight and 9am, according to the FBU.
Russ King, secretary of the FBU in Tyne and Wear, said: “Never-ending budget cuts are leaving the fire service with threadbare resources. Let’s be clear: every time we have a major incident from now on fire service resources will pushed to the limit. Lives are being put at risk.”
“We are urging the fire authority to reverse the decision to remove the engines from the night-time fire cover. Having a crew of four also puts firefighters at increased risk of serious injury.
“Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service assistant chief fire officer Alan Robson said: “Since the implementation of the Fire Authority’s decision in January 2018, we have closely monitored the first four stations that adopted the change.
“This information has further confirmed our belief that in making the change we would not increase risk to either firefighters or to our communities.”