Brentwood firefighters join TUC day of action and anti-cuts demonstration on 30 November

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Firefighters from Brentwood fire station will join the TUC Day of Action on Wednesday 30 November as part of their on-going campaign against the plan to cut an entire full time fire crew from the frontline in Brentwood.

The firefighters will be joining with other public service workers from across Essex demonstrating in Chelmsford against other frontline cuts in vital public services and fighting for fair pensions for all. The FBU have withheld at this stage from balloting for national strike action over pensions but fire crews across Essex are continuing industrial action short of strike in what has been a bitter, 2-year-long dispute over on-going frontline cuts in Essex Fire and Rescue Service. The FBU is ready to coordinate national strike action with other unions should their talks with Ministers on pensions fail.

Nick Mayes, FBU rep serving at Brentwood said:

“The virus of cuts in frontline firefighters has now spread to Brentwood. The cut of full-time firefighters serving at Brentwood is a worrying example of the real-life, local consequences for the public of the cuts agenda being forced through under the cloak of the banking crisis. The people of Brentwood will lose one of their two current full-time fire crews who for decades have been there to respond immediately to 999 calls to save lives, property and deal with other emergencies. This will mean slower responses and less resilience to deal with emergencies. This will inevitably put the safety of the public and firefighters at increased risk.”

“Quite simply, having bailed out the banks, the people and firefighters of Brentwood are now being asked to pay again. The firefighters at Brentwood simply ask: What price a life?”

Brentwood fire station covers a population of 71000, three major roads, including a section of the busiest ring road in the world – the M25, a major railway line as well as many industrial and rural risks.

The economic downturn means fire chiefs are already experiencing problems in recruiting and retaining part time firefighters and this is proving no different in Brentwood. This means the new plans for maintaining a part-time fire crew for Brentwood’s second fire engine will be unreliable and risks only one fire engine being ready to deal with all 999 calls received.

Fire crews have also been cut from Canvey Island, Colchester, Chelmsford, Basildon, Grays, Southend and Harlow in an earlier cuts round and the retained fire station at Rayleigh was closed. Plans for even further frontline cuts are being considered by the fire authority.

***ENDS***

CONTACT

Nick Mayes 07917 – 065870
Mick Rogers 07967 – 023709

Firefighters Demand Senior Officers Come Clean On Axing Bucks Emergency 999 Fire Control

MEDIA RELEASE

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 Authority decision was taken behind closed doors, in secret, with only a handful of principal officers aware of the reason behind the recommendation. There has been no strategic, outline, or full business case presented to the public or to firefighters.

“At every public meeting where the future of the command & control function has been discussed, instead of councillors showing a commitment to promote their democratic principles through an open and transparent discussion of the issues which directly impact the public, the press and public have been excluded. Local firefighters have even been asked to leave so senior officers and elected representatives can talk in secret.

He added “These cuts will see the firefighters and managers working in the Aylesbury command & control room given the choice of either moving their families to the east of England, where they will most likely face redundancy, or object to the transfer and face the sack.

FBU Control representative Makyla Greaves said: “The closure of the local emergency fire control room affects the safety of firefighters and everyone who lives, works, travels through, or visits Milton Keynes & Buckinghamshire. The Fire Authority decision should be in the public domain. There is no reason for secrecy when we are talking about people’s lives being put at risk.

“The firefighters working in Aylesbury in the command & control room are essential to the efficient functioning of our service and an essential part of the Fire Service Team. Any cuts here threaten the level of service provision to the public and the level of essential support provided for our fire crews at incidents. We are the front line of the front line.”

Senior officers are so keen to keep this information out of the public domain that they still haven’t responded to a freedom of information request made by the Fire Brigades Union on the 5th October seeking all supplementary information relating to the decision including any council papers, information, presentations and recommendations that were provided to the Authority to enable them to make an informed choice. This far exceeds the twenty working day statutory timescales.

***ENDS***

Press contacts:

FBU Control Secretary Makyla Greaves 07973 523370
FBU Control H&S Representative Gillian Firth 07597 187525
FBU Regional Control Representative Andrew Cooper 07889 182762
FBU Regional Secretary Ricky Matthews 07917 065863

Notes to editors:

The Cambridgeshire 999 control room is located Huntingdon. The current Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Command & Control room is located in Gatehouse Close, Aylesbury.

The road distance between the two control rooms is 54.4 miles

Firefighters and managers working in the emergency 999 control room will be taking part in a lobby of the full fire authority meeting on the 14th December

The FOI was submitted by FBU Brigade Secretary James Wolfenden on the 5th October to BFRS director of Human Resources Lynn Swift

Firefighters were asked to leave the Milton Keynes council offices during the Fire Authority meeting which took place on the 28th September so that councillors and senior managers could discuss control options in secret.

Why did Councillor Strong not declare interests at key Cabinet meeting over fire centre axe – union demands answers

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The Fire Brigades Union is demanding to know why Councillor Gary Strong did not declare he was a director of North West Fire Control Limited at the Cabinet meeting which decided to move to the company’s regional fire control centre. The minutes and agenda contain no declaration.

There is no suggestion that Strong gets any personal benefit from his position as a director – it is a local authority controlled company – but he spoke very highly of the technology which the company claims it will provide along with the claimed financial benefits.

The Cabinet paper, which was approved, also authorized Councillor Strong, along with others, to become involved with discussing contracts in relation to the move on behalf of the council. The union said it is concerned there may have been a breach of the council’s own Code of Conduct.

One councillor did declare a personal interest because she knew a member of the fire service. Councillor Strong declared an interest at the meeting on an unrelated agenda item.

Kevin Brown, FBU Regional Secretary said: “Councillor Strong tabled the report and spoke at the Cabinet in glowing terms about the alleged benefits of moving to north west regional fire control. The claims of the regional control company were central to the approval by the Cabinet and I am concerned that he did not declare an interest at that meeting.

“I believe the meeting had a right to a declaration from Councillor Strong that he is a director of the company. At the very least he could have been challenged as to why he was so fervently in favour of the move and if his support was influenced by his personal interest.

“He declared an interest on another agenda item in relation to his membership of a Trust. In my view there were even greater reasons to declare the interest in regard to North West Fire Control Ltd and I look forward to his explanation as to why he did not.”

According to North West Fire Control Ltd website: “The North West Fire Control Centre is run by a local authority controlled company, called North West Fire Control Limited. The Company is run by a Board of Directors. The Board comprises of ten Directors – two appointed by each principal fire and rescue authority – who meet regularly to deal with business of the company.”

Councillor Gary Strong and Councillor Bill Bleasedale (who was not at Cabinet has made statements to public meetings and the media in support of the move to a regional control) are both listed as Directors on the company’s website. Mr Bleasedale is frequently quoted in the media as an “ex-firefighter” but not in his current role as Director of the regional control company.

***ENDS****

Contact:

Media contact Kevin Brown 07834 656085

Minutes, 15 September Cabinet meeting:

“Mrs Mallinson declared a personal interest in agenda items 17 and 23 (Fire Control Update) as she knew a member of Fire and Rescue staff. Mr Strong declared a personal interest in agenda item 16 (Holehird Trust Property Sale) as he was the County Council’s representative on the Trust.”

Mr Strong did not declare to the meeting his role as NW Fire Control Ltd. Director, to which he is directly or indirectly appointed by the county council.

Cabinet Agenda

82. DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST
To disclose any personal and prejudicial interests relating to any item on the agenda.

NB The following is a summary of what constitutes a personal interest and a personal and prejudicial interest. Please seek advice or refer to the Code of Conduct (paragraph for full definitions.

PERSONAL INTERESTS

You have a personal interest if the issue being discussed in the meeting affects the well-being or finances of you, your family or your close associates more than most other people who live in the Electoral Division affected by the issue.

Personal interests are also things that relate to an interest you must register.

N.B. If the personal interest arises because of your membership of another public body, you only need to declare it if you intend to speak.

Code of conduct section 8 (referred to in the minutes)

Personal interests

8 (1) You have a personal interest in any business of your authority where either –

(a) it relates to or is likely to affect –

(i) any body of which you are a member or in a position of general control or management and to which you are appointed or nominated by your authority;

(ii) any body –

(aa) exercising functions of a public nature;

(bb) directed to charitable purposes; or

(cc) one of whose principal purposes includes the influence of public opinion or policy (including any political party or trade union), of which you are a member or in a position of general control or management;

Safety concerns as West Yorkshire builds a bonfire of the fire service – 10 stations axed and one in ten frontline posts to go

MEDIA RELEASE

West Yorkshire fire crews are warning of major public safety concerns over plans to axe 10 fire stations and lose 135 frontline firefighters – one in ten of the current crews who attend emergency incidents. The result will be longer attendance times to 999 incidents with fewer stations, crews and appliances spread much more thinly.

Every area of the 999 response will be hit including fires, road traffic crashes, flooding, dealing with the aftermath of major terrorist incidents and a wide range of other emergencies the service responds to. The union warns of increased risk to lives and homes, businesses and workplaces.

Under the plans the fire authority proposes to close 10 Fire Stations and replace them with 5 new builds and remove 7 front line fire appliances from service. In total this will be around 135 fewer front line firefighters available to respond to 999 emergencies.

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority has put forward several proposals that they want to implement by 2017.

These proposals will have a serious impact on the service provision that you currently receive, they include:

• The removal of the 2nd Fire Appliance from Moortown and replaced with a smaller Fire Response Unit – loss of 12 full time firefighter posts
• Transfer the 2nd Fire Appliance from Silsden to Keighley to be used as a resilience pump – loss of 5 retained firefighter posts
• The closure of South Elmsall and Hemsworth Fire Stations and a new fire station built to replace them – the loss of 23 firefighter posts (full time & retained ff’s)
• The closure of Otley and Rawdon Fire Stations and a new fire station built to replace them – the loss of 23 firefighter posts (full time and retained ffs)
• The closure of Brighouse and Elland Fire Stations and a new fire station built to replace them – the loss of 24 full time firefighter posts
• The closure of Batley and Dewsbury Fire Stations and a new fire station built to replace them – the loss of 24 full time firefighter posts
• The closure of Gipton and Stanks Fire Stations and a new fire station built to replace them – the loss of 24 full time firefighter posts

Yorkshire FBU Regional Secretary Pete Smith said: “These cuts are the worst we have ever seen and come on the back of already serious cuts to the service in recent years. Make no mistake, they are a threat to the safety of the public and firefighters – this is a bonfire of the fire service.

“We’ll have fewer stations, fewer frontline crews and fewer appliances spread more thinly. That means taking longer to get to 999 emergencies and with fires that means much larger and more dangerous fires when we get there.

“There will be a greater risk to life, to homes, businesses and workplaces. We’ll have a reduced chance of carrying out rescues with increased risk of much greater fire damage to any building which has a fire.

“These cuts will impact on everything we do as an all-round rescue service. This will reduce our ability to respond to major outdoor fires which have damaged our moorlands and major flooding which has hit this region in recent years.

“There are times when we have been seriously stretched even with our current resources. These cuts risk tipping us over the edge and that will have a very serious impact on the public.”

***ENDS***

Contact:

FBU Brigade Secretary – Mark Wilson – 07974102455
FBU Brigade Chair – Andy Imrie – 07740626326
FBU Brigade Organiser Dave Williams – 07967105224

Ballot for Industrial Action (London)

CIRCULAR 2011HOCO581MW                                                       
18^th November 2011
TO:    ALL MEMBERS LONDON
CC:     Regional Officials

Dear Brother/Sister,

Ballot Result

Please note that the result of the ballot as to whether members of the FBU are prepared to take industrial action in relation to the current dispute is as follows:

• Number of votes cast in the ballot:           2942                     
• Number of individuals answering “yes”     2660  
• Number of individuals answering “no”        275                       
• Number of spoiled voting papers:                   7                                           

A majority voted in favour of industrial action.  I set out below the details of that action which have been determined.

Call for industrial action

As the person authorised to make the call for industrial action I now confirm that continuous industrial action will commence at 09:00 hours on 25^th November 2011.

The industrial action will be as follows:

• A ban on the working of Pre-arranged overtime, which is non contractual;
• A ban on non-contractual overtime i.e. any additional non contractual hours above core hours which are remunerated with either: time of in lieu, extra duty leave, cash payment or any other financial or incentive arrangement;

This is the action which has been determined upon. We hope the matter will be resolved shortly.  If not, any further forms of action to be called in respect of this ongoing industrial action will be notified once determined.  Members are now instructed to take continuous industrial action as specified above from and not earlier than the date and time specified above and any further action to be so notified.

Best wishes.

Yours fraternally,

MATT WRACK
General Secretary

Lewes Fire Station Steve Wells Memorial Fund

Further Evidence to Ministers’ to Support FBU Position on Normal Pension Age

Fire Brigades Union slams moves for £30 million “giveaway” to the Met police

MEDIA RELEASE

The Fire Brigades Union has slammed a move to give £30 million of London Fire Brigade money to the police. It follows a ‘one off’ move last year which saw £20 million passed to the Met, bringing the total to a massive £50 million in just 2 years.

The LFEPA finance sub committee has voted through the transfer from fire brigade reserves to the police. The Met police reported reserves of over £70 million and an under spend on officer pay of over £18 million in their accounts of 2009/2010.

The Government is demanding £65 million of austerity budget cuts in the London fire service by 2014, on top of the money transferred to the police budget. This decision will come to the full Authority on the 24th November, with the union asking the authority to throw out the proposal.

Ben Sprung London FBU regional organiser said “We are constantly told we are facing a budget squeeze yet once again there is money to give away. The fire service will have lost £50 million over a period of two years, a huge sum we cannot afford.

“Plans are being rushed through to privatise firefighter training and the control centre before the GLA elections. The argument being that they have no money for a capital investment. Keeping them in house would be a viable option if we stopped giving money away.

“The Tory-controlled fire authority now claims it has so much money to spare it can give away another £30 million.

To firefighters it looks like a cynical fix in advance of the GLA elections next year because policing is higher up the election agenda.

“With a London election next year looming, policing is again expected to be a major issue and money is being taken from our accounts to bolster the police budget. This is playing politics at the expense of the fire service which will face a huge budget squeeze after the Olympics.

“After the civil disturbances, media and public attention focused on policing and police budgets and ignored the over-stretched fire service, despite its critical role. During the disturbances arson was the principle weapon of choice against communities and only the fire service can deal with that.

“The Government is demanding austerity budget cuts of £65 million by 2014. Handing £50 million to the Met could lead to further pressure for frontline fire service cuts in the years ahead as the austerity cuts bite.

“We urge the Fire Authority to vote against these plans when it comes before the full meeting on 24 November. It cannot be right to continue to rob money from one 999 service to pay for another, they both count to Londoners.”

***ENDS***

Contact:

Ben Sprung 07500 067088

Humanitarian Aid to Palestine

MEDIA RELEASE

FBU give a cautious long awaited welcome to the Israeli Military’s decision to release most of the humanitarian equipment donated to the Nablus Fire Department.

Jim Malone, Scottish organiser says ‘Today’s news gives us some hope that this is nearly the end of what has been a long journey from Dundee to Nablus, the Palestinian firefighters will now, hopefully prepare to take ownership of the life saving equipment ‘.

The FBU project delivered 150 sets of fire kit, 80 helmets, 80 pairs of fire boots and 100 pairs of fire gauntlets. The FBU called for the speedy release of the BA sets, 20 of which were also donated but are being held back by the Israeli Authorities.

Jim Malone said ‘The Palestinians have only a few BA sets, for the project to be completed we need this life saving kit to be delivered’.

***ENDS***

Media contact

FBU regional organiser Jim Malone 07801 047 613

Strong challenged on Cumbria fire control axe claims

MEDIA RELEASE

The Fire Brigades Union is challenging Councillor Gary Strong over claims that fire authorities will be charged for the cost of abandoned regional fire control buildings even if they don’t use them. The union says the claim is wrong and the county council must look at the decision to axe Cumbria’s control again with the full facts in front of them.

The union is also questioning whether county councillors understand the full implications if they do sign up to pay for the regional fire control centre without the technology being in place. The Public Accounts Committee has already raised questions about what happens at the end of what are increasingly short-term leases for the regional control buildings.

The Warrington regional control centre is owned by Aaim Warrington Unit Trust and leased from them by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The 25-year lease worth £45 million was signed in 2008 and ends in 2033 and these costs cannot pass to fire authorities without agreement.

FBU brigade secretary Ade Kevern said: “Mr Strong’s comments suggest the Cabinet made a decision on the back of a claim they would be paying for the rental costs of the abandoned regional control in any event. This is wrong and points to the need for full public consultation and proper scrutiny of this decision.

“The county council has built their case on claims about alleged savings, but not clear evidence about how they reached the figures. We know some of the figures over staffing costs are wrong, and a fundamental error like this sinks the savings claims entirely.

“If the fire authority does sign up to pay the rents I am not convinced county councillors know what they are signing up to before and after 2014. There are key issues about what will be in place from June next year through to 2014 which have not been addressed by Gary Strong.

“From 2014 there will only be 19 years to run on the regional lease. At the end of the lease in 2033 the owners can do what they like with the building and land, a fact highlighted at the Public Accounts Committee.

“If the technology does not work at a regional level by 2014 then the rental cost will be burning a hole in the pockets of taxpayers who will be paying for the interim measures as well as for the regional building. This is precisely what happened with the Government’s regional control project and has been heavily criticised by a Select Committee, the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee.

“The key errors of the last regional project were that claims about the technology were exaggerated, claimed savings were non-existent and the financial and technology risks were ignored. To follow this already well trodden trail to disaster without full consultation is folly and the county councillors must look at it again.”

Mr Strong made his claim while being interviewed by Annabel Tiffin on the BBC Politics Show North West on 6 November. A transcript of the relevant part includes:

Councillor Gary Strong: “…………we don’t have to use the building in Warrington but we know for a fact that Fire and Rescue Authorities in this country, right across the country will be charged from their fire service budget for these buildings…”

***ENDS***

MEDIA CONTACT

ADE KEVERN 07967 570362

NOTES

Page 8 National Audit Office report The failure of the FireControl Project, published 1 July 2011

17 The Department is trying to reduce ongoing future waste by incentivising local Fire and Rescue Services to use the empty regional control centres. The Department is responsible for rent, utilities and facilities management costs for each of the nine regional control centres. It is currently offering Fire and Rescue Services subsidies to use the centres, but so far only the London control centre has been re-let. Public Accounts Committee report The failure of the FireControl Project, printed 14 September 2011

16. The London control centre is the only building which has been transferred to a Fire and Rescue Authority, the other eight centres remain empty. The Department is in negotiations with Fire Authorities to take over four of these buildings.[36] The Department holds 20 to 25 year leases on these buildings, and has a continuing liability for their rent, utilities and facilities management.[37] Excerpts from oral evidence to the Public Accounts Committee Oral 6 July 2011. Sir Bob Kerslake is the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Q46 Chair: So who owns these white elephant buildings that we have around the place? Can I just get that clear? Who owns them?

Sir Bob Kerslake: The buildings are owned by the Department. They were leased buildings, in effect, so that we hold the leases. What Steve says is right—

Q47 Stella Creasy: Who is the freeholder, then?

Sir Bob Kerslake: Sorry?

Stella Creasy: Sorry. Who is the freeholder, then?

Q48 Chair: This is buy and lease back.

Sir Bob Kerslake: The freeholder is the companies that bought them, but they are on long leases.

Q49 Mr Bacon: How long?

Sir Bob Kerslake: 20 to 25 years.

Stella Creasy: So it is a PFI?

Mr Bacon: 25 years is not a very long lease.

Chair: It is a buy and lease back.

Q50 Mr Bacon: Do you mean that in 25 years’ time they will own the whole thing, lock, stock and barrel?

Sir Bob Kerslake: There will obviously be issues about whether the leases are extended on the contracts.

Q51 Mr Bacon: But if the leases were not extended, then in 25 years’ time these companies would own the entire asset.

That is correct?

Sir Bob Kerslake: Yes.

Mr Bacon: They could then use it for something else, or knock it down, and they have the land.

Q52 Chair: Who are the companies?

Sir Bob Kerslake: It is a series of different companies who are involved.

Q53 Chair: Who?

Sir Bob Kerslake: I do not know. Roger, do you know?

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