Fire Brigades Union warns of 10,000 job losses in Fire and Rescue Service.

October 20 2010

PRESS RELEASE:  Fire Brigades Union warns of 10,000 job losses in Fire and Rescue Service.

Ten thousand fire service jobs are under threat from government plans to slash 25 per cent from fire and rescue service budgets over the next four years, the Fire Brigades Union warned today.

Responding to the Comprehensive Spending Review, Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU, said: “This government seems intent on imposing cuts that will wreak havoc within the fire and rescue service and short change both the public and firefighters.

“These pernicious cuts must be fought to defend public safety. They are not inevitable, but politically driven. The FBU will oppose these draconian attacks on an essential frontline service and robustly defend the key role firefighters play in keeping communities safe.

“We cannot just meekly roll over and accept this. Neither should the employers. Firefighters are professionals – and we won’t stand by and see our service dismantled piecemeal.”

A Treasury document released this afternoon spells out that central government grants to local authorities to fund fire and rescue services will be reduced by 25 per cent over four years.

In announcing the measures in Parliament, Chancellor George Osborne encouraged fire and rescue services to compete for the shrinking pot of public funds. He said that fire and rescue services could “limit budget reduction in return for substantial operational reform”. Measures mentioned include “flexible working arrangements” and “pay restraint and recruitment freezes”.

Matt Wrack commented: “This is pitting one fire and rescue service against another as resources dwindle, rewarding those who drive down pay and conditions and penalising the rest more. It is bullying and divisive.”

Press Contact – Helen Hague 07889 792360

Hutton proposals for firefighter pensions are just a step too far

Stop squandering taxpayers’ money, honour pre-election pledge and scrap FiReControl now – FBU challenges Tories to stop dithering

Tory ministers in the Coalition government were today challenged to call time on the flawed and costly plan to regionalise fire control in England.

Since the last General Election the botched and wasteful FiReControl project has cost the tax payer £6.5M just for rent on empty buildings.

In the run-up to the election, both the Tories – holding their party conference in Birmingham this week – and the Lib-Dems pledged to scrap FiReControl, the project which aims to replace 46 local fire control centres with nine big new centres covering the whole country.

The ill-fated FiReControl Project has been plagued by IT delays, contractual problems and missed deadlines. No computers have been installed, and the project is already £300M over budget. It was branded “a complete disaster area” by Clive Betts, chair of the Communities Select Committee a few months ago. The main contractor EADS came under fire at the committee.

The focus is now on Tory and Liberal Democrat MPs who opposed the project before the election. The FBU challenges them to deliver on their promises to scrap FiReControl now they are in power.

Eric Pickles, Minister for Communities and Local Government, told the Communities committee that a system designed to navigate appliances to fires or floods could not do so over huge swathes of the country.

Clearly exasperated, he criticised EADS, FiReControl’s main contractor, for failing to meet deadlines, or even co-operate with a departmental team drafted in to help sort on-going problems. He promised a decision would be taken soon on FiReControl’s future – yet costs continue to mount. * SEE ATTACHMENT OBTAINED UNDER FOI

The FBU has consistently criticised FiReControl, calling for more investment in existing centres. A project relying on untested technology to replace control staff’s knowledge, experience and intelligence risks compromising public safety. Continued support for the project flies in the face of the “Localism” and “Value for Money” philosophy that the Coalition claims underpin its policies.

Sharon Riley, FBU Executive Council Member representing control staff, called for a swift decision to ditch FiReControl, which was sapping both resources and morale in the service. “We know that in the current economic climate every penny counts. Everyone’s having to do their bit, tighten their belts and make savings to pay for a situation which was not of our making.

“The Government should scrap this project now, saving the tax payer millions, and invest in existing fire controls across England. “

Missed deadlines and huge overspend apart, the thinking behind FiReControl is deeply flawed. The public should be aware of what the FiReControl Project would mean for them, says Sharon Riley. “Instead of relying on experienced local fire fighter control staff, calls could be answered hundreds of miles away. The South West Regional Control Centre is in Taunton, for instance – so if you live in Truro and phone 999, you will be put through to Somerset. However, the Project relies on a network of 9 RCCs. If your regional control centre is busy your call will be put through to any available operator on the network at any of the other RCCs anywhere in the country. So in Truro, your call could be answered in Newcastle”

Contacts:-

Sharon Riley 07889 088423

Helen Hague 07889 792360

***ENDS***

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