Changes at Newbury fire station Options

[graham]

Ive just found out that Newbury fire staion no longer uses there Retained section(part time
firefightes) for standby`s. the fire service regard newbury as a key station because of the suroundings and the major roads in and around the area,this also means that it has to have a fire engine at the staion at all times.

There new policy is to use another fire appliance from the Reading area so when the fire appliance from Newbury responds to a 999 call ,unless the call requires two fire engines then the Retained get called to the incident, other wise this means there is a 20 minute wait for another appliance and some times the control centre dont always send a standby appliance to the station.

This is now putting lives at risk due to the longer response times all because the fire service have put cost cutting measures in place.With the Retained at the station they can respond straight away to a 999 call but if there`s no one at the station it could take an extra 5 minutes to the call the Retained in or a 20 minute wait for a fire appliance from Reading to arrive.


sleep well

[Bloggo]

Ive just found out that Newbury fire staion no longer uses there Retained section(part time
firefightes) for standby`s. the fire service regard newbury as a key station because of the suroundings and the major roads in and around the area,this also means that it has to have a fire engine at the staion at all times.

There new policy is to use another fire appliance from the Reading area so when the fire appliance from Newbury responds to a 999 call ,unless the call requires two fire engines then the Retained get called to the incident, other wise this means there is a 20 minute wait for another appliance and some times the control centre dont always send a standby appliance to the station.

This is now putting lives at risk due to the longer response times all because the fire service have put cost cutting measures in place.With the Retained at the station they can respond straight away to a 999 call but if there`s no one at the station it could take an extra 5 minutes to the call the Retained in or a 20 minute wait for a fire appliance from Reading to arrive.


sleep well

Isn't it wonderfull, the tax we pay for this service goes up and the service provided goes down.
Not only that but I believe that this is the first anyone of us tax payers have heard of it.

[TallDarkAndHands...]

Isn't it wonderfull, the tax we pay for this service goes up and the service provided goes down.
Not only that but I believe that this is the first anyone of us tax payers have heard of it.

I'd like to hear from the local authority on this to confirm or deny the allegation before I vent my spleen. My blood pressure is bad enough at the moment!!!

[Andy1]

I'd like to hear from the local authority on this to confirm or deny the allegation before I vent my spleen. My blood pressure is bad enough at the moment!!!

agreed

[graham]

I'd like to hear from the local authority on this to confirm or deny the allegation before I vent my spleen. My blood pressure is bad enough at the moment!!!

why dont you pop down the fire station i have a mate who`s on one of the watch`s and he said the station is not happy about the changes either.

[Iommi]

I understand that the Govnt have been investing in making homes safer; the aim being, that they are able to scale down the Fire Service.

[Andy1]

I understand that the Govnt have been investing in making homes safer; the aim being, that they are able to scale down the Fire Service.

Problem is Iommi, the cut backs on the fire service will affect response times to traffic accidents as well

[Berkshirelad]

I'd like to hear from the local authority on this to confirm or deny the allegation before I vent my spleen. My blood pressure is bad enough at the moment!!!

For once, it is nothing to do with the Council (other than acting as agents for the collection of the precept - just like for the Police and parish precept).

Any matter of this nature is Berkshire-wide as it is managed by Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service, not local authorities.

[dannyboy]

Ive just found out that Newbury fire staion no longer uses there Retained section(part time
firefightes) for standby`s. the fire service regard newbury as a key station because of the suroundings and the major roads in and around the area,this also means that it has to have a fire engine at the staion at all times.

There new policy is to use another fire appliance from the Reading area so when the fire appliance from Newbury responds to a 999 call ,unless the call requires two fire engines then the Retained get called to the incident, other wise this means there is a 20 minute wait for another appliance and some times the control centre dont always send a standby appliance to the station.

This is now putting lives at risk due to the longer response times all because the fire service have put cost cutting measures in place.With the Retained at the station they can respond straight away to a 999 call but if there`s no one at the station it could take an extra 5 minutes to the call the Retained in or a 20 minute wait for a fire appliance from Reading to arrive.


sleep well

well, if we paid more taxes...

[blackdog]

well, if we paid more taxes...

Or if they hadn't wasted millions on a new centralised control centre that the fire service didn't really want in the first place.

[gel]

Or if they hadn't wasted millions on a new centralised control centre that the fire service didn't really want in the first place.

Not a great fan of Unions, but agree with FBU on this white elephant of a project.

Some £1.4BN being wasted on this and as per normal with big government projects, years behind.
The brains behind scheme was that great strategist/world class clown John Prescott.

A small % of this would keep retained staff on standby at station, when full time
staff on a shout.

Many senior officers I deal with across Country are absolutely against this and the loss of
local knowledge in local control centres.
Their knowledge already being lost as staff already leaving for something with long term tenure.

See
http://www.fbu.org.uk/newspress/pressrelease/2009/05_06.php


RBFRS Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service is in fact run by the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, so each council within RBFRS boundary does have a local representative; they therefore should be screaming on this in my view, especially the West Berkshire members.

The Fire Authority, which comprises 25 local councillors appointed by the six unitary authorities in the County of Berkshire, is responsible for setting the Fire and Rescue Service operating budget and determining how the service is run.

Some may be aware that there's a ding dong currently in Windsor where that local authority wants independence to run their own Fire Station/s.

http://www.windsorfirestation.co.uk/archivenews.php
Newbury doesn't have their problem, but like Windsor change isn't in Newbury & surrounding areas interests.
is aiming to take control of it's local Fire Station, so they have local control.

Their IRMP strategy will be behind this fairly certainly ;see
http://www.rbfrs.co.uk/irmp_options.asp

Local WBC Councillor is the CHAIRMAN OF THE AUTHORITY ie
Councillor Dr Paul Bryant,
And WBC Councillor Emma Webster runs the IRMP committee; are these local
elected officials operating in our interests?

[Darren]

Wiltshire have combined control room in Devises and talking to those who work there, they say the interaction is much better. If the police need an ambulance they just call across the room instead of making a call, getting all the details logged and the radio call going out. Vastly improves response times.

Unfortunately, it doesn't apply to the fire service. The FBU demanded (and got) their area enclosed off from everyone else behind a full-height, sound proof divider. No other service has access to the area.

This was done as the FBU rules require that their members working at night have somewhere to sleep.

[dannyboy]

Or if they hadn't wasted millions on a new centralised control centre that the fire service didn't really want in the first place.

A Drop in the Ocean

[gel]

A Drop in the Ocean

Wiltshire's will make sense as it's just Wiltshire combined service facility as they have in
Gloucestshire.

Our County & many others will be managed from a distant county, and those operators may have knowledge of Hampshire towns, but won't of Counties surrounding it.

I recall South Central Ambulance have already had issues which weren't apparent when we had the local RBAT service.
A real problem when a street exists and there's one in several towns/counties, confusion will and has crept in.

[blackdog]

A Drop in the Ocean

£1,400,000,000 may be a drop in your ocean - but not in mine.

[JeffG]

£1,400,000,000 may be a drop in your ocean - but not in mine.

£1.4 billion for one control centre?

[Jeven]

£1.4 billion for one control centre?

"That's no control center. It's a death star!" (Well should be 'space station' but that wouldn't make the source as obvious)


Berkshire Fire Authority rep - "Now witness the firepower of this fully operational battle station."

[blackdog]

£1.4 billion for one control centre?

No - 9.

http://www.fbu.org.uk/newspress/pressrelease/2009/05_06.php

[gel]

No - 9.

http://www.fbu.org.uk/newspress/pressrelease/2009/05_06.php

The Conservatives have promised to dump the Prescott inspired Grand Fire Control Centres project; due to commence in 2007, and replacing all Local Brigade 999 Control centres with 9 Regional ones.

It was justified on grounds of saving £money£; originally priced at £100m, it is now running 4 years late (so first REgional Control (RCC) won't be operational till 4 years after promised start.

Cost of just Consultants to Feb 2009 is £45m.
Rent to 2009 on empty Control Centres £40m.

Oh and the estimated £100m project has ballooned to £1.4bn but you can be sure won't end there.

THis is just one example of a Government out of control; none of the existing Brigades ever asked for the Centralisation, but was all part of Prescott's Grand Regionalisation project; this was thrown out by voters in the N East re local Government.

[gel]

Another Liebour Waste of Money:
And now MP's condemn it too, but decide we taxpayers should continue throwing our hard earned £ at it:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8597293.stm

And of course this'll include MP's representing Wales & Scotland who have their own Fire Services, so should have no say in what England does.

The revolving door Fire Ministers have no expertise to comment on the efficacy
of the plans, as their suitability for candidacy seems to be based on all that's wrong with
positive discrimination.

They are barely in place long enough before they move on to run another Department of State, about which they will know even less; but do they care as they progress the greasy pole!

In industry one would be selected based on experience/qualifications etc for role; that's the opposite with Ministers it seems.