ALL MEMBERS CIRCULAR BERKSHIRE

CIRCULAR: 2010HOC0658MW 22nd 2010 2010HOC0658MWBerks TO:     ALL MEMBERS BERKSHIRE   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…

Fire Bridades Union concerned about merger of Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre to Surrey

FIRE BRIGADES UNION IMMEDIATE MEDIA RELEASE: 23rd September 2010 Fire Bridades Union concerned about merger of Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre to Surrey At the Isle of Wight Council Full Council meeting, held on Wednesday 22 September 2010, Councillors voted through plans for an ‘in principle’ decision to move the Island’s emergency 999 Fire Control Centre to Reigate in Surrey. The Fire Brigades Union are deeply concerned that these proposals are hastily being moved forward, to the extent that full public consultation and scrutiny is being pushed aside, with the issue of the Island’s Fire Control not due to return to a Full Council Meeting (rather a delegated decision at a future Cabinet Meeting)…

BERKSHIRE FIRE BRIGADES UNION CONDEMNS MANAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT TO OUTSOURCE ITS CONTROL ROOM FUNCTION TO SURREY FIRE AND RESCUE

FIRE BRIGADES UNION BERKSHIRE FIRE BRIGADES UNION CONDEMNS MANAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT TO OUTSOURCE ITS CONTROL ROOM FUNCTION TO SURREY FIRE AND RESCUE The Fire Brigades Union has expressed serious concerns over management plans to outsource the control room to Surrey Fire and Rescue Service. The control room based at Dee Road in Reading, houses 35 firefighters (control) working 24/7 split into four shifts. They handle in excess of 10,000 emergency calls per annum, mobilise the appropriate resources to incidents and coordinate all operational activity throughout the County ensuring firefighter and public safety. Laura Fellows the RBFRS Command and Control Branch Representative of the Fire Brigades Union said: “Firefighters and Control members in the Royal Berkshire Fire…

FBU Letter To Buckinghamshire Members

Dear FBU member, You will have recently received, or imminently be in receipt of, a letter and questionnaire sent to your home address from Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS). The letter requests that you indicate your availability to work in the event of industrial action, and identifies four different hypothetical scenarios. The Fire Brigades Union strongly believes that this request is unreasonable, unnecessary and ultimately could greatly undermine our ability to defend imminent attacks on your pay, pension, jobs and conditions of service. Having taken legal advice on this matter please be informed that you are under no obligation to respond to the BFRS letter. BFRS is stating that the information collated will form…

Lease costs for South East Regional Control Centre announced

Lease costs for South East Regional Control Centre (SERCC) have been announced. The figures show that the South East Regional Emergency Fire Control has a 25 year lease costing £46 million. Breaking this down per annum is an annual cost of £1.84m. Dividing this figure down further to County level (for the nine counties for the RCC: Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Berkshire) means the cost per annum to the local tax payer will be £204,445. Additional figures that would have to be added to the above annual costs for the Regional Fire Control Centre (based in Fareham) would be £396,825 per annum (£44,091 for the Isle of Wight)…

Regionalisation of Emergency Fire Controls – Letter to Prime Minister David Cameron

CIRCULAR: 2010HOC0336MW 14 May 2010 TO: ALL MEMBERS Dear Brother / Sister REGIONALISATION OF EMERGENCY FIRE CONTROLS – LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER Members will be aware from our long running lobbying and campaigning that the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties have both expressed very clear opposition to the Regionalisation of Fire Controls in England. The two parties now form the new Government. Attached is a letter to the Prime Minister seeking a commitment from the Government to honour the pledges made on this issue prior to the election; the text of the letter also appears below. Yours fraternally MATT WRACK GENERAL SECRETARY  Download the letter to the Prime Minister as a PDF Text of letter…

British Airways Cabin Crew Dispute – speech by BASSA/Unite at FBU Conference, April 2010

British Airways Cabin Crew Dispute – speech by BASSA/Unite at FBU Conference, April 2010 Officers AGM/Seminar 2010 and CSNC AGM/Seminar 2010, held at Wortley Hall, Wortley, Sheffield, Yorkshire, 14th-15th April 2010. Guest speech from a volunteer for BASSA/Unite, Penny White, for a joint session of the Officers and CSNC, discussing the ongoing BA Cabin Crew dispute British Airways Management, along with the associated BA Cabin Crew strike action. A revealing speech, which cuts through some of the myths and spin of the media, press and British Airways. Related links: BASSA Unite British Airways FBU Wortley Hall

Funeral arrangements for Hampshire Firefighters: Alan Bannon and James Shears

At the request of the families, the funerals of Alan Bannon and James Shears will now be private events for close colleagues and family members. This is a change to the previously published arrangements.

Funeral Services for Alan Bannon and James Shears

N.B. In a change to previously published details, at the request of the families, the funerals of Alan Bannon and James Shears will now be private events for close colleagues and family members. CIRCULAR: 2010HOC0274MW 20 April 2010 TO: ALL MEMBERS Dear Brother / Sister FUNERAL SERVICES FOR ALAN BANNON AND JAMES SHEARS Following the tragic deaths in Southampton recently of Alan Bannon and James Shears I can now confirm that funeral services have now been arranged as follows: Alan Bannon’s funeral service will take place at St. Mary’s Church in St. Mary’s Street, Southampton, Hampshire, on Tuesday, 27 April at 2pm. The funeral will be followed by a private committal service. James Shears’ funeral…

FiReControl just keeps on delivering…disappointment

After the latest condemnation of FiReControl from an influential committee, the Fire Brigades Union’s Sharon Riley, executive council member representing fire controls, tells Mike Lowe why FiReControl is such a bad idea and how easy it is to do it better The FBU’s Sharon Riley didn’t know where to start when I asked her what was actually wrong with FiReControl – the government’s plan to modernise Fire Service technology. She explains: “It was never something that they consulted upon. It’s something which ministers and civil servants embarked upon without first consulting fire services or the professionals working in fire controls. So it’s a government driven project, top-down, with very little understanding of what it is…