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Media Release: 27th July 2010: In response to comments made by Cllr David Pugh during IW Radio interview, 23/07/2010

MEDIA RELEASE: for immediate release: 27th July 2010

In Response to comments made by Cllr David Pugh during IW Radio interview, 23/07/2010

http://www.iwradio.co.uk/newscentre/island-news/fire-control-centre-could-be-scrapped-1219

Andrew Cooper The Isle of Wight Command & Control Branch Chair of the Fire Brigades Union said, “Firefighters & Control members in the Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre wish to express their disappointment and concern at hearing the comments made by Cllr David Pugh, Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, during an interview on Isle of Wight Radio (23/07/2010).

“Mr Pugh’s statements expose a lack of comprehension to the limitations of caller location technology and the importance of local knowledge in dealing with emergency 999 calls to the Fire Service.

“The role, knowledge, professionalism and exemplary level of service delivered by Firefighters (Control), in Newport, is integral to the safety of the public and Firefighters.

“Local knowledge is becoming more, not less important in dealing with emergency calls to the Fire Service, with rapidly changing methods of making telephone calls increasingly exposing the weaknesses in automated caller location technology.

“Mr Pugh is making comments about a frontline emergency service to the residents and visitors of the Isle of Wight. We believe his implied proposed changes would deliver an inferior level of service to the public and Firefighters of the Isle of Wight, with little or no savings to local council tax payers (as experience with 5 years late, vastly over budget proposed Regional Fire Control Centre is showing).

“The Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government have repeatedly stated such services would not be cut or undermined by the strategic spending review. Mr Pugh is implying that the local austerity cuts will contradict this national position of the Government.

“Local Fire Control staff would welcome the opportunity for Mr Pugh to meet with them so that he is made more fully aware of the role of Firefighters (Control) and delivery of the emergency service at a local level.”

Ends

Press Contacts

Andrew Cooper, Control Branch, Isle of Wight, FBU, 07889 182 762

Paul Watts, Control National Sectional Committee, 07917 065 863

Cllr David Pugh: ‘Fire Control Centre Could Be Scrapped’

During an interview on Isle of Wight Radio, Cllr David Pugh made the statement that the ’[Isle of Wight] Fire Control Centre Could Be Scrapped’:

Listen to the interview here: Cllr David Pugh: ‘Fire Control Centre Could Be Scrapped’ (opens in new window).

‘The fire control centre on the Isle of Wight which takes emergency 999 calls could be scrapped and merged with the mainland.

It’s one of the measures being investigated by Isle of Wight Council in its latest austerity cuts.

The local authority says it wants to keep the fire service on the Island but funding to keep the call centre is very expensive. Council officers have been ordered to study the impact of ditching the centre on the Island and report back to councillors in September.

Leader of the Council, David Pugh, told Isle of Wight Radio, “While there maybe some concerns in knowing localities and where places are, all the evidence shows that combining fire control with another part of the country maybe more cost effective. We wouldn’t be looking that far. We want to keep the fire service itself on the Island and modernise it”.’

The Isle of Wight branch of the FBU will be making a formal statement soon.

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