Source: www.guardian.co.uk
ESSEX: Firefighters vote to strike (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series) - Epping Forest Guardian
ESSEX: Firefighters vote to strike
8:00am Friday 15th June 2012 in Epping Forest News By Clare Hardy
FIREFIGHTERS have voted to go on strike amid fears a new swathe of cuts will put the communities they serve at risk.
More than 500 members of the Fire Brigades Union in Essex decided to take action over plans to cut an extra 100 full-time fire fighters and 60 retained staff from across the county by 2016.
Assistant brigade secretary Nick Mayes said the plans could leave crews unable to tackle emergencies like house fires.
“One of the statements our chief made recently was that he would like to see up to three crew members on an engine,” he added. “The norm is four.
“If you go to a house fire, two people need to be on breathing apparatus to search for people and an officer in charge. It can’t be done.”
He said crew members would end up taking on more shifts to cover for the fewer positions.
“We’re all under economic constraints,” he said. “People will put pressure on themselves to work extra hours and this isn’t just some factory.
“You can go out, your shift will finish at 9am and you could be on a road traffic collision until 1pm and you’ve got to be awake and alert for the next one.”
He added that there had not been any consultation on the changes and that Essex Fire Brigade was pushing them through despite not taking a budget cut.
“The fire authority seems to be rubber-stamping it,” he added.
The chairman of the Essex Fire Authority, councillor Anthony Hedley, said: “The fire authority has invested heavily in front line services and will continue to do so.
“We have assured the public and our staff that there will be no fire station closures, no enforced fire fighter redundancies and continued investment to modernise the service.”
Fire services bosses recently decided to sell of homes for crew members at Waltham Abbey Fire Station as staff move out.
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Comments(2)
Batey K says...
9:25am Fri 15 Jun 12
word of mouth says...
1:07pm Fri 15 Jun 12
Source: www.guardian-series.co.uk
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