More cuts 'could mean fire station closures'
CONTINUING cuts to Humberside Fire and Rescue Service could lead to station closures, the Fire Brigades Union has warned.
Union leaders say the service could be forced to lose between 50 and 60 frontline firefighters in the next year.
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TOUGH DECISIONS: Union leaders say Humberside Fire and Rescue Service could be forced to lose between 50 and 60 frontline firefighters in the next year.
According to Humberside's union branch, the cuts threaten engines, stations and response times.
Although the union is not considering industrial action at the moment, branch chairman Rob Vaux said all options would be on the table if redundancies were announced.
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He said: "So far, the cuts have been through natural wastage and retirement but if you don't replace those jobs, it will have a significant impact.
"If you do see any cuts beyond natural wastage, our membership will put significant pressure on us to ballot for strike action.
"The tipping point will come when our members feel their families and members of the public are more at risk."
The Local Government Association (LGA) has said English fire services could lose £300m of funding in the next five years – almost a third of their budgets.
Chris Blacksell, assistant chief fire officer for Humberside, said the LGA's figures were speculative but the service was preparing for further cutbacks.
He is expecting a £1.6m deficit in the financial year from April 2014 to April 2015.
He said: "We're looking at every possible option to save the money we think we will need to save.
"Options will include changes to operational cover but also things in the background like support services.
"In future years, we do anticipate delivering the service with fewer full-time firefighters."
The fire service is ahead of its own response targets, with engines taking an average of five minutes and 46 seconds to arrive at homes.
Mr Blacksell does not predict any cuts to those targets in coming years.
He said: "We're not planning on changing our response standards. I don't suspect we will need to. I don't think, over the next two years, anything we did implement would mean we wouldn't achieve our response standards.
"The problem is, we don't know what our funding is going to be beyond 2014 to 2015."
The Humberside Fire Authority, a body made up of councillors from across the region, has frozen taxpayers' contributions to the service in their council tax precept.
Mr Vaux said the region's taxpayers may need to spend more next year.
He said: "If we don't up the precept and the Government cuts the budget, it will mean a reduction in fire cover.
"It will be interesting to see what the general public's view is. A reduction in firefighter numbers will inevitably lead to an increase in attendance times."
6 Comments
by sumsitup
Thursday, March 14 2013, 10:57PM
“And what areas should the firefighters diversify into? Trauma care, carry defibs, water rescue, rope rescue, new dimentions equipment, heavy animal rescue, off shore fire fighting, well they ones they do what extra would you like to see on this list? Killer 127 good points didnt the FBU go out on strike in 2002 against a Labour government? Having watches a select committee meeting were Mr Pickles clearly pointed out that the contracts drawn up for percurments were poorly contructed as contracts. And thats why they increased so much. The FBU like any union is only as strong as the membership, concerns were raised and MP s lobbyed as to the effects.”
by killer127
Thursday, March 14 2013, 7:01PM
“sumsitup, I dont remember the Fire Brigade threatening industrial action over the fire control centres, object and raise concerns is different to what they would do if the Tories had wasted that money, just how many firefighters can you employ for £500m, like I have stated, if they dont like it show their anger at the Labour party, not the current regime.”
by Yorky444
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 9:47PM
“Sensationalising again are we FBU? The same FBU that refuses to consider firefighters taking on more diverse roles, thereby helping to make firefighters indispensable and safeguarding their jobs. The reality is there are not enough incidents to justify a workforce that size any more and the FBU are pushing a fantastic asset over a precipice. Get with the times and diversify you outdated, self serving bunch of hypocrites mascarading as a union.”
by sumsitup
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 7:30PM
“killer 127 = Just to inform you that the FBU did object and raised concerns about the fire control project, the cost was a issue, but more of concern was the local knowledge that would be lost through disbanding local controls . Local knowledge of the Humberside area is a quantity that cant be valued.”
by billybobs
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 11:53AM
“Its only a matter of time before someone who really needs the fire service is seriously harmed due to cuts!”
by killer127
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 9:56AM
“Before anyone jumps on the band wagon and starts blaming the current government, lets not forget that Uncle John wasted £500m on his lovely fire control centre project, a project that was supposed to originally cost £72m, but of course the union leaders didn't think to complain or plan industrial action when Labour was in power.”