News
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Firefighters Demand Senior Officers Come Clean On Axing Bucks Emergency 999 Fire Control
THE FIRE BRIGADESUNION For immediate release: Monday 21st November Firefighters Demand Senior Officers Come Clean On Axing Bucks Emergency 999 Fire Control The Fire Brigades Union is demanding a full public consultation over fire authority plans to axe Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service emergency 999 fire service command and control centre. At its meeting on the 28th September the Fire Authority took the decision, behind closed doors, to commence the process of outsourcing the Aylesbury based emergency 999 control room to Cambridgeshire, over 50 miles away. A number of other options were dismissed without the evidence being made public or any consultation taking place. Regional FBU Control official Andy Cooper said “The Fire…
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Emergency Services: A Literature Review on Occupational Safety and Health Risks
Report attached emergency_services_occupational_safety_and_health_risks
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Exercise Watermark flood report – FBU reaction
Fire services must have legal duty for floods and Government must halt plans for more savage cuts to fire service. The Fire Brigades Union has called for fire authorities to be given a legal duty to deal with floods after another key report recommended action to clarify the issue. The report also highlighted concerns over how stretched resources were in dealing with an “artificial” four-day exercise which was not run 24 hours, round the clock, at any stage. The union warned that the loss of thousands or more frontline fire crews planned over the next few years will make matters worse. Such cuts will inevitably put the lives of the public and fire crews at…
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Privatisation of London fire training and of the fire control centre would compromise safety and bring high financial risks
A new report warns that plans to privatise London Fire Brigade training and the fire control centre would compromise safety whilst imposing new high financial risks on the capital’s fire service. The European Services Strategy Unit, jointly commissioned by the FBU, GMB and UNISON, has released its report examining plans to privatise London’s Fire Service Training and Control Centre. The report highlights the poor performance of previous Public Private Partnerships, finding that one in five (20%) of PPP strategic partnership contracts have either been terminated, reduced in scope, or suffered significant operational and/or financial problems. This is a higher rate than for PFI projects and imposes many more risks for the London Fire and Emergency…
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Prescott should take the blame for FiReControl failure, not firefighters
The Fire Brigades Union has dismissed John Prescott’s remarks on Radio 4 this morning, blaming firefighters and civil servants for the failure of the FiReControl project. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary said: “Only a minister who doesn’t know what’s going on blames others. Prescott has no excuse. He was told by the FBU, among others. He was clearly not doing his job properly. “Instead of accepting his own central role in authoring and driving this disastrous project, he prefers to blame those who work in the service and pass the buck. “The central failing of FiReControl was political. Prescott was the prime mover and the Secretary of State who could have ended the project at…
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Firefighters Demand Senior Officers Come Clean On Axing Bucks Emergency 999 Fire Control
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Emergency Services: A Literature Review on Occupational Safety and Health Risks
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Exercise Watermark flood report – FBU reaction
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Privatisation of London fire training and of the fire control centre would compromise safety and bring high financial risks
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Prescott should take the blame for FiReControl failure, not firefighters
Region
Record spending by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service on consultancy fees and employment agency payments
The Fire Brigades Union has uncovered that Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service in the first seven months of this year has spent over half a million pounds on consultancy costs and employment agency fees alone. This almost equals the entire amount spent on these services over a four year period, 2005-2009. If BFRS continue at this rate it will result in a total yearly expenditure of nearly one million pounds. At the same time as this massive increase in consultancy costs, senior managers are proposing a number of reviews incorporated within their recently published ‘Public Safety Plan’ that are specifically aimed at reducing front line costs. Should they be approved in September, it will likely…
PART TIME WORKERS SETTLEMENT – AGREEMENT REACHED
PART-TIME WORKERS SETTLEMENT – AGREEMENT REACHED Agreement has now been reached on the changes to the NJC Conditions of Service (Grey Book) to implement the successful FBU legal case to ensure that all retained firefighters are recognised and rewarded as part-time workers. The terms of the settlement also includes a financial award to all “eligible employees”. A copy of the relevant NJC circulars can be found at www.fbu.org.uk At this stage, Fire and Rescue Authorities are carrying out a data collection process in order to calculate the payment for each eligible person. Further details on the arrangements for receiving the financial award will follow shortly. Best wishes. Yours fraternally …
Save Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre Petition
FBU members will be aware that the IOW fire control centre is under threat of closure. A petition to save the control room has begun on the island and it is also important that those of us who have, or intend to holiday on the island also raise our legitimate concerns about the threatened closure. To that end please download a copy of the petition below and ensure it is widely circulated at your workplaces. Completed petitions can be returned to Bro. Andy Cooper CONTROL ROOM Fire Station South Street Newport Isle of Wight PO30 1JQ firewontwait petition
Fire Authority Fails Residents of Berkshire
Fire Authority Fails Residents of Berkshire Berkshire Fire Authority has agreed to massive cuts in the service it provides to the people of Berkshire and made the frontline even thinner in the County. Instead of firefighters and fire engines, it will spend its money on new back office staff and new buildings. The Authority agreed a budget cut of £1.4 million that will see – a reduction to the number of firefighters at Newbury and Windsor a reduced attendance to automatic fire alarms in the County a 27% reduction in the number of operational and specialist officers a delayed attendance to incidents in rural areas the closure of Cookham Fire Station…
FBU raises concerns over Royal Berkshire Fire Authority budget proposal
FBU raises concerns over Royal Berkshire Fire Authority budget proposals The proposed budget for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service will be discussed at the Management Committee meeting of the Fire Authority to be held on Monday 14th February. If approved the budget will proceed to a meeting of the full Fire Authority for final approval on Thursday 17th February. Among the proposals to cut £1,480,000 from the service budget over the next year are: A reduction of the number of fire engines responding to Automatic Fire Alarms (AFA)- If an AFA call develops into a fire situation the reduced or delayed attendance will limit crews in the actions they can take to…
ALL MEMBERS CIRCULAR BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
CIRCULAR: 2010HOC0658MW 22nd 2010 2010HOC0658MWBucks TO: ALL MEMBERS BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Dear Brother/Sister, HEALTH AND SAFETY – ASSISTANCE TO/FROM LONDON FIRE BRIGADE Members will be aware that strike action is due to take place in London as follows: 23rd October 2010 from 10.00 Hrs until 18.00 Hrs 1st November 2010 from 10.00 Hrs until 18.00 Hrs It is understood that London Fire Brigade (LFB) have requested extensive assistance on those dates at the following emergency incidents: 1. Incidents that present a risk to human life that are beyond the capability of the LFB’s contingency arrangements. 2. Significant incidents occur beyond the capabilities of LFB contingency arrangements, which threaten major loss of life, or potential…
Members Circulars
RPI/CPI Judicial Review Lobby 25th Oct
Dear Brother/Sister RPI/CPI: JUDICIAL REVIEW 25 OCTOBER 2011 You will be aware that as a part of the ongoing campaign to defend public sector pensions the FBU have instigated, along with several other unions, a legal challenge over the Government’s decision to change the uprating mechanism for pensions from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This will reduce the value of pensions by approximately 15% over 20 years. Our judicial review is scheduled for hearing at the High Court on Tuesday 25 October starting at 10.30am. There is to be a lobby organised by the unions concerned to coincide with the start of proceedings, details as…
FURTHER DETAILS ON THE HUTTON REVIEW ON PENSIONS
FURTHER DETAILS ON THE HUTTON REVIEW ON PENSIONS Members will be aware that the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission: Final Report was published and made available from 10th March 2011. Head Office circular 2011HOC0117MW was issued later the same day, outlining the main concerns for FBU members and informing them that a more detailed assessment of the full Hutton report would be taking place. We have been looking at the report in more detail and can now give a clearer overview of what the proposals, if accepted by Government, could mean. Members should recognise that, in the document, Hutton makes the assumption that the Government has already accepted that Consumer Prices…
REGIONAL FIRECONTROL PROJECT SCRAPPE
Dear Brother/Sister ENGLISH REGIONAL FIRECONTROL PROJECT SCRAPPED On Monday 20th December the Westminster Fire Minister issued a written Ministerial Statement to the House of Commons which terminated, with immediate effect, the contract with Cassidian (formerly EADS) to deliver the FiReControl Project. For the past seven years our members in Emergency Fire Controls across the Services in England have had to live with uncertainty and Governmental incompetence as the project has stumbled on from one crisis to another. The FBU were the only voice within the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) that consistently opposed the regionalisation of our Fire Controls: not for self-serving reasons, but because we saw no evidence to suggest that this was going to improve in…
Press Releases
Firefighters Demand Senior Officers Come Clean On Axing Bucks Emergency 999 Fire Control
THE FIRE BRIGADESUNION For immediate release: Monday 21st November Firefighters Demand Senior Officers Come Clean On Axing Bucks Emergency 999 Fire Control The Fire Brigades Union is demanding a full public consultation over fire authority plans to axe Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service emergency 999 fire service command and control centre. At its meeting on the 28th September the Fire Authority took the decision, behind closed doors, to commence the process of outsourcing the Aylesbury based emergency 999 control room to Cambridgeshire, over 50 miles away. A number of other options were dismissed without the evidence being made public or any consultation taking place. Regional FBU Control official Andy Cooper said “The Fire…
Exercise Watermark flood report – FBU reaction
Fire services must have legal duty for floods and Government must halt plans for more savage cuts to fire service. The Fire Brigades Union has called for fire authorities to be given a legal duty to deal with floods after another key report recommended action to clarify the issue. The report also highlighted concerns over how stretched resources were in dealing with an “artificial” four-day exercise which was not run 24 hours, round the clock, at any stage. The union warned that the loss of thousands or more frontline fire crews planned over the next few years will make matters worse. Such cuts will inevitably put the lives of the public and fire crews at…
Privatisation of London fire training and of the fire control centre would compromise safety and bring high financial risks
A new report warns that plans to privatise London Fire Brigade training and the fire control centre would compromise safety whilst imposing new high financial risks on the capital’s fire service. The European Services Strategy Unit, jointly commissioned by the FBU, GMB and UNISON, has released its report examining plans to privatise London’s Fire Service Training and Control Centre. The report highlights the poor performance of previous Public Private Partnerships, finding that one in five (20%) of PPP strategic partnership contracts have either been terminated, reduced in scope, or suffered significant operational and/or financial problems. This is a higher rate than for PFI projects and imposes many more risks for the London Fire and Emergency…
FBU response to plans to axe Buckinghamshire fire control centre
FIRE BRIGADES UNION IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6 October 10 2011 FBU response to plans to axe Buckinghamshire fire control centre FBU regional secretary Ricky Mathews said: “Those who work in Buckinghamshire fire service command and control centre have been told their work is to be outsourced to Cambridgeshire with the loss of 20 posts. It is very unhelpful that this was communicated to many of them by letters delivered to their homes by taxi. “It is also unhelpful that the fire authority insists on discussing theses issue behind closed doors rather than in public as it could and should, but this announcement came as a real surprise. Feelings are running very high across the service because…
Prescott should take the blame for FiReControl failure, not firefighters
The Fire Brigades Union has dismissed John Prescott’s remarks on Radio 4 this morning, blaming firefighters and civil servants for the failure of the FiReControl project. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary said: “Only a minister who doesn’t know what’s going on blames others. Prescott has no excuse. He was told by the FBU, among others. He was clearly not doing his job properly. “Instead of accepting his own central role in authoring and driving this disastrous project, he prefers to blame those who work in the service and pass the buck. “The central failing of FiReControl was political. Prescott was the prime mover and the Secretary of State who could have ended the project at…
