17 Fire stations at risk with 600 jobs on line too, fight all cuts!

In London plans have been revealed to close 17 fire stations across inner and central London with the loss of about 600 jobs. Some of these stations only have one fire engine others have two. Boris Johnson the London Mayor who I think behind his stupid bafoonary is a very dangerous anti workers Tory. Boris thinks these cuts will not have any impact on the fire service and will not put lives at risk. I beg to differ and I’m glad to say the FBU do too. The Fire Brigades union who are a strong left militant union especially in London have gone to war before over cuts and I have no doubt will lead their members in yet another battle this time of a bigger degree. In the FBU’s press release today it sounds very clear its view and that it will be opposing these dangerous cuts which are wrong but not even necessary, are we seriously saying that too many fires were put out which lead to the global economic crisis? No way Jose! The plans, which were revealed in a leaked document, look set to be put before a meeting of the London fire authority on 22 November. The brigade was told by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to save £65m over two years, and senior managers have been working on proposals to meet that demand. The FBU’s regional secretary for London, Paul Embery, said: “These proposals present the biggest threat to the London Fire Brigade since the days of the Luftwaffe and would lead to the decimation of fire cover in London. The stations under threat of closure have stood proudly for generations, protecting local residents from bombs, fire and terrorism, yet Boris Johnson is about to hammer a ‘For Sale’ sign on to their front doors. “Such a huge cut cannot be made without there being an impact on public safety, and we call on Londoners to join with us in defending our fire service. “All around the country, chief fire officers are beginning to warn publicly of the danger of catastrophic cuts. So far, the commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, Ron Dobson, has remained silent, but surely now it is time for him speak up. “The London Fire Brigade is a proud organization with a fine history. But it is now facing possibly its greatest challenge. Its leaders must do the right thing and tell the politicians these cuts are wrong and dangerous. If they don’t do it, the FBU will.”

FBU: fire engines could be sold off as contractor recieves winding up order

Fire Brigade Union says woes of key contractor battling winding-up order put capital’s safety at risk. The government’s enthusiasm for privatising key public services has been thrown into question amid fears the company that owns and leases appliances to London’s fire service is heading for administration, a move that could see the capital’s fire engines sold off.
AssetCo, a private company that in 2001 won a 20-year multi-million pound contract to supply the London Fire Brigade with all its appliances, has seen its share price collapse amid fears it is running out of money. If the company ends up in the hands of its creditor banks, they will have the right to sell off the appliances.

AssetCo owns and leases 500 vehicles and 50,000 pieces of equipment to the London brigade, the world’s largest fire service. It was also awarded a contract to provide ambulances to the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust that was worth £7m in its first year.

The Fire Brigade Union has raised concerns about public safety if the company enters administration. “How are they going to guarantee there are fire appliances if the company that owns them goes into administration?” asked Duncan Milligan, the FBU spokesman. “The creditors are going to have first call on the assets. There’s a real risk here that the fire service are not going to have access to the engines.”

Question marks also hang over what would happen to the contract the company holds to supply reserve firefighters if fire service personnel go on strike.

A £10m fundraising exercise has yet to materialise and several of AssetCo’s directors have quit as the company battles a winding-up order from creditors. The company’s share price, which has touched £2.31 within the last five years, now stands at 3.75p. Chief executive John Shannon was dismissed in April for what the company called “serious breaches of contract”.

Last week Labour MP John McDonnell asked the government to reveal what it would do to protect the London Fire Brigade if the company goes into administration. “I’m extremely worried that the precarious nature of the company could put the fire service at risk,” McDonnell said. “I believe we need a full investigation into how this company was allowed to get this contract.”

The company’s problems will be seized on by unions and Labour politicians against the privatisation of vital public services such as the NHS.

The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, which oversees the brigade, is chaired by Brian Coleman, the former Conservative mayor of Barnet council, famous for its stripped down “budget airline” approach to public services.

From The Observer,


All this is rather worrying in times of cut backs and job loss's. I think this latest issue will need resolving or will put the public at greater risk. If this has to come to industrial action to protect the fire engines and their use that will have to be the result but London considering it is always at threat from a terrorist attack and a key city on the world stage needs a good well funded and resourced fire service. Cutting jobs or equiptment will only hamper their role in protecting the public.

So i do hope a resolution can be found before industrial action is called.