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Search forFire crews feel under-valued and unsafe
Friday, October 24, 2008, 11:45
FIREFIGHTERS in Sussex fear cuts to frontline staff and insufficient training are jeopardising both their safety and that of the public.
And the results of a YouGov poll of Fire Brigades Union members in the South East – released this week – reveal 84 per cent do not think the Government "really values" their work.
The union's South East secretary Jim Parrott believed the results painted an alarming picture of a discontented and disillusioned workforce.
He said: "This is the authentic voice of the men and women who save lives every day and it is telling the Government not just to change course, but to change its whole approach.
"They want resources to go into frontline personnel, training and equipment to do the job, which are being cut – not into extravagant and untried mammoth computer systems and the army of consultants required to explain why they do not work properly."
YouGov interviewed 1,969 FBU members online across the UK in August, including a subset of 280 in the South East region which comprises Kent, Sussex and Surrey.
It revealed:
More than nine out of ten (94 per cent) think plans for eight regional control centres – replacing the existing 48 – will worsen the fire and rescue service's response.
Almost two thirds (64 per cent) felt "insufficient or inadequate operational training" was compromising the safety of firefighters at incidents.
Nine out of 10 (90 per cent) believe the fire service must "stop cutting frontline personnel if it is to provide a coherent, effective and safe response to the incidents it is expected to attend".
Asked what were the four best ways of spending money on improving the fire and rescue service, more than nine out of 10 (94 per cent) said more training, more than two thirds (68 per cent) said more frontline personnel and two thirds (66 per cent) said modern and safe personal radios. Just one in 100 (1 per cent) suggested moving to regional control centres.
Mr Parrott added the FBU was also expressing concern over firefighter safety and the increased numbers killed in recent years, adding members would be lobbying Parliament on November 12.
Responding to the findings, Fire Minister Sadiq Khan said: "Firefighters do a great and difficult job, which is why they need to know the Government is on their side. I am looking forward to meeting with FBU leaders later this week to discuss these issues and explain how strongly we value our firefighters and their safety, which is demonstrated through our investment in new frontline equipment and training.
"We have provided £400m investment for new fire stations, equipment and training facilities, as well as £15m in the Fire Service College to provide state-of-the-art training. We also invest in fire safety measures such as £25m for free smoke alarms and home fire safety checks, which are one of the reasons that fire deaths are now at an all-time low and firefighter deaths remain very low."
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