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

FIREFIGHTERS ACROSS THE UK WILL BE DEVASTATED BY THE LOSS OF TWO COLLEAGUES”

Fire Brigades Union General Secretary, Matt Wrack said: “Firefighters across the UK will be devastated by the loss of two colleagues. Our thoughts are with their families. The FBU has already started our procedures for investigating fatal incidents. Firefighters work extremely closely together and share challenges and dangers. Losing a colleague is something that touches everyone and that firefighters never get over.”

Matt Wrack is travelling to Southampton this morning to meet local firefighters.

***ENDS***

Contact:-

Francis Beckett  07813 001372 / 020 8349 9194

Select Committee report Shows FiReControl Project should be abandoned

The Government cannot meet the Select Committee’s six conditions for continuing with FireControl, says Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack.

Mr Wrack said:

“The Select Committee Report on the government’s FireControl project supports our long-held view that public money is being wasted and public safety compromised. The Select Committee sets out six conditions for the continuance of the project, and in our view these conditions cannot be met, so the project must be abandoned. We recognise that this will mean that public money has been wasted, but to continue with the project means throwing good money after bad.

“The Select Committee’s view that “the project has been beset by a lack of openness and collaboration with the main stakeholders from the start” bears out our own experience. Firefighters, who are surely the key stakeholders, have not been consulted, and when they have nonetheless offered their opinion, it has routinely been ignored. Politicians with no knowledge or experience have taken technical decisions which they were not competent to take, and have not bothered to ask those who know.

“It is shocking, but not surprising, that the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) did not allow the Select Committee to see the independent reviews of its management of the project—even in confidence. We agree with the Select Committee that “this lack of openness… implies a certain insecurity about its handling of the FiReControl project to date.”

“The Select Committee sets out, sensibly and soberly, six conditions for continuing with the project. At least three of them cannot be met:

“Consulting fully with Fire and Rescue staff and professionals in defining end-user requirements;”

“Taking further steps to shift the negative perception of the project and to influence fire and rescue authorities to make the positive decision to switch to the new system;” and

“Providing assurances that the safety and security of the Olympic Games will not be compromised during the roll-out of the new Regional Control Centres.”

“Too many mistakes have been made already for these conditions to be met. Even if the government were to start consulting today with fire control professionals, it has already taken too many decisions in ignorance of their effect on the service. Negative perceptions of the project are now indelible, and the project itself mired in poor decisions. No credible guarantee can be offered about whether the safety and security of the Olympic Games will be compromised. If the new Regional Control Centres are not fully operational, it will be compromised, and Ministers promising otherwise are making pledges which they do not know they can keep.

“The FBU and anyone else with any understanding of this project knows that there WILL be further delays, just as there have been delays throughout the history of the project. Pressing on regardless of this fact will increase the risk within the fire service since a number of local controls need to be modernised and this process has been held back because of undelivered and undeliverable promises from the government.”

***ENDS***

Contact:-

Francis Beckett 07813 001372 / 020 8349 9194

Related links:

Fire Brigades Union

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