Lancashire fire service 'stretched to limit' (From Blackburn Citizen)
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Lancashire fire service 'stretched to limit'
12:00pm Monday 13th February 2012 in News
FRONTLINE firefighters in Lancashire are being ‘stretched to the limit’ as budget cuts begin to bite, say union chiefs.
And they fear that £7.8million cuts, planned for the county brigade over the next three years, will only heap further pressure on beleaguered staff.
Leaders of the Fire Brigades Union said that by September the fire and rescue service will have lost 267 operational posts, a quarter of firefighter posts, over the last decade.
Fire chiefs have said they would attempt to manage the cutbacks so that no firefighter’s safety was put at risk.
In a letter to the fire authority, Steve Harman, the FBU’s Lancashire secretary, said the union would not agree to any proposal which would compromise their members’ safety.
“This comes at a time when operational crews and manager are finding themselves stretched to the limit on more and more occasions,” said Mr Harman.
“Last year’s moorland fires, for example, led to crews working ‘excessive hours without adequate rest breaks,” he said.
“Retained firefighters then had to go straight to work at their primary employment, getting no rest at all.”
Under the Government cutbacks, £1.8million is being saved this year through introducing more day crews, at the likes of Darwen and Rawtenstall, and removing a platform appliance at Preston.
And in 2013-14 and 2014-15 another £5.9million must be recouped.
Paul Richardson, Lancashire’s deputy chief fire officer, said: “Our firefighters are a skilled, committed workforce who work within a structured framework of contracted hours of work and risk assessment, underpinned by comprehensive and thorough health and safety and occupational health services.
“The invariably unpredictable nature of emergencies and our commitment to respond effectively to them is undoubtedly challenging but that has been, and will continue to be, achieved without compromising firefighters' safety or wellbeing.”
The fire authority will meet today to discuss its budget, which is expected to approve a council tax freeze.
Comments(13)
disgusted tunbridge wells
says...
1:02pm Mon 13 Feb 12
living the end times in BB1
says...
1:06pm Mon 13 Feb 12
disgusted tunbridge wells wrote:So they have got somewhere to get giggy..
If they are "stretched to the limit" why do they keep building new bedrooms for them ?
disgusted tunbridge wells
says...
2:00pm Mon 13 Feb 12
floydbrfc
says...
3:21pm Mon 13 Feb 12
living the end times in BB1 wrote:You dumb ****
disgusted tunbridge wells wrote:So they have got somewhere to get giggy..
If they are "stretched to the limit" why do they keep building new bedrooms for them ?
just a view
says...
4:14pm Mon 13 Feb 12
In reply to some childish comments on new bedroom, yes they are being built on the side of existing Fire Stations to allow family members to visit loved ones as they now almost live at the Station, but they are still on duty and ready for any call outs.
Malthus
says...
5:17pm Mon 13 Feb 12
BuckoTheMoose
says...
6:30pm Mon 13 Feb 12
Does that mean actual firefighters? If so, why are essential psersonell being cut when we still have jobsworths busybodying us about smoking and eating salt?
Rich Riley
says...
9:22pm Mon 13 Feb 12
Its a simple option, if you don't like it don't do it.
goz
says...
10:53pm Tue 14 Feb 12
Rich Riley wrote:Spot on fella, see them all the time in a well known local tradepoint filling their cars with sand n cement, electrical items and such. Greedy job thieves some of them !!!
Pay them less and save money that way. They can top it back up with their second jobs.
Its a simple option, if you don't like it don't do it.
Cha'mone MF
says...
9:40am Wed 15 Feb 12
goz wrote:I really hope if your house ever catches fire they drive round the block a couple of times before they turn up.
Rich Riley wrote:Spot on fella, see them all the time in a well known local tradepoint filling their cars with sand n cement, electrical items and such. Greedy job thieves some of them !!!
Pay them less and save money that way. They can top it back up with their second jobs.
Its a simple option, if you don't like it don't do it.
goz
says...
1:34am Thu 16 Feb 12
Cha'mone MF wrote:Think I care what you think knobhead !!
goz wrote:I really hope if your house ever catches fire they drive round the block a couple of times before they turn up.
Rich Riley wrote:Spot on fella, see them all the time in a well known local tradepoint filling their cars with sand n cement, electrical items and such. Greedy job thieves some of them !!!
Pay them less and save money that way. They can top it back up with their second jobs.
Its a simple option, if you don't like it don't do it.
disgusted tunbridge wells
says...
1:53pm Sat 18 Feb 12
happycyclist says...
12:10pm Mon 13 Feb 12