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…

The Fire Brigades Union criticises London Fire Brigade’s report on recent riots

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has criticised a report by the London Fire Brigade which claimed that it had enough resources to cope during last month’s riots. The report, drawn up by service bosses, showed that firefighters attended over 800 fires between 6-10 August, and that sufficient staff and fire engines were available to deal with the disturbances. But union leaders said the report attempted to hide the real story and that matters went beyond breaking point. In particular, the union has collated an abundance of evidence, which it will publish shortly, showing that: • Standard operating procedures were routinely ignored, with fewer than the stipulated number of firefighters and engines being sent to incidents…

The Fire Brigades Union criticises London Fire Brigade’s report on recent riots

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has criticised a report by the London Fire Brigade which claimed that it had enough resources to cope during last month’s riots. The report, drawn up by service bosses, showed that firefighters attended over 800 fires between 6-10 August, and that sufficient staff and fire engines were available to deal with the disturbances. But union leaders said the report attempted to hide the real story and that matters went beyond breaking point. In particular, the union has collated an abundance of evidence, which it will publish shortly, showing that: • Standard operating procedures were routinely ignored, with fewer than the stipulated number of firefighters and engines being sent to incidents…

Dangerous and ignorant right wing trash – the FBU’s verdict on Reform’s claim that further major fire service cuts are ‘manageable’

The Fire Brigades Union has condemned Reforms claim that further huge fire service cuts are manageable as dangerous right-wing trash. The FBU warns that if the Reform agenda was followed it would have a devastating impact on public and firefighter safety. FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack said: “It is dangerous and ignorant right wing trash to suggest that more cuts to an already depleted fire service are manageable. We’ve been cut to the bone already and further frontline cuts will have a devastating impact. “Reform make this claim based on the falling number of deaths in accidental dwelling fires. They put this down to smoke alarms, which do not put out fires or rescue people….

AssetCo in the high court today

AssetCo got a month stay of execution in the high court today. FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “Privatising emergency services is stupid and dangerous. The long, slow death of AssetCo is a perfect illustration of this. We still do not know what is going to happen to London and Lincolnshire’s fire engines. They are, we believe, going to be the property of AssetCo’s creditors when AssetCo finally goes under. I call on the London Fire Brigade and the government to bring the fleet and their maintenance back into public ownership.” For further details contact Francis Beckett  020 8349 9194 07813 001372

London’s Fire Brigade urged to “learn from its mistakes” and stop new privatisation

The day before AssetCo – the troubled company which owns and maintains all London and Lincolnshire’s fire engines – faces likely winding up, the Fire Brigades Union spoke out against new plans for further privatisation of the fire service. It urged the London Fire Brigade to “learn from past mistakes.” The London Fire Brigade is leading plans to privatise the control and mobilisation service, so that when you dial 999 you will be put through to employees of a private company instead of fire brigade employees. Under the contract, the successful bidder will take on the management of call handling software, IT maintenance and support, data management and business continuity services. The Brigade also has…