Parliamentary candidate has safety concerns as FBU ballot members in Essex

Labour Candidate for Castle Point, Julian Ware-Lane, met with the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) secretary for Essex, Paul Adams, recently to discuss why the FBU in Essex was balloting its members on industrial action.

The ballot started on July 8th and will conclude at the end of the month.

The Essex Fire Authority (EFA, made up of members from Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock local authorities) is introducing a new Integrated Risk Management Plan. A consultation process began in July 2008 and finished in October. Various bodies and individuals commented, including the FBU. To date the FBU in Essex has received no response.

There are a number of concerns, including the loss of 44 frontline staff (fire-fighters) and the imposition of policies which detrimentally affect the everyday workings of the fire service.

Paul Adams said "we are calling for action short of strike, which could mean that 999 calls only would be answered".

"Essex currently has 954 fire-fighters and officers, to be reduced under the plan to 905. There are no redundancies envisaged, but jobs are going through natural wastage. The net effect is less frontline fire-fighters crewing the same number of appliances which means some of these appliances may not be available when required" added Paul.

Julian ware-Lane said "I am very concerned about safety here in Essex. We have a number of hazards and a growing population. I would have thought more, not less, fire-fighters would be required. Residents in Castle Point will be very aware of the LPG storage on Canvey Island. Not far aware is Coryton and its oil refinery and soon to be built deep water berths. We also have very busy roads with a large number of accidents. All of these require the intervention of our brave fire-fighters."

Julian added that with the advent of global warming there was an increased risk of flooding in Essex's low laying areas: "when a major incident occurs we always look to the fire brigade to save lives and safeguard property. I cannot imagine why the Essex Fire Authority thinks we need to reduce our capacity to tackle emergencies."

"I hope the EFA does the sensible thing and responds to the concerns of those on the frontline. If the FBU thinks there are serious safety issues here then at the very least the EFA should be talking with them. The FBU has been calling for negotiations to begin as soon as possible to resolve the dispute. Unfortunately there has been little response to those calls. "

"Essex Fire Authority has a very proud record on safety and this is at risk if what amounts to cuts are implemented".