FBU claims fire reform plans could cost lives
The Government’s plans to reorganise fire control centres could be facing failure, according to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).
It claims to have seen the full version of highly confidential internal ODPM report which assess the possibility of the “delay or even total project failure’ as very high/high”.
The FBU further claims to have seen costing which have been concealed from the local fire authorities which reveal
The reorganisation plan – which the Government says is essential to respond to changing circumstances and complicated national incidences – would see 46 fire service control centres close. These would then be replaced with nine regional centres to co-ordinate operations.
The Government believes the plans will save both money and lives. Nick Raynsford, fire service minister, said control rooms at present, while doing a good job, could not deal, “in a co-ordinated fashion”, with national incidents.
“They operate with a wide range of procedures, technologies and systems – many of which have suffered from an historic lack of investment.”
He also suggested that comments in the leaked report had been taken out of context, saying: “Firecontrol will provide a better and more efficient service.
“We are using the best available technology based on the most advanced existing fire controls.”
FBU general secretary Andy Gilchrist, said: “This dangerous plan will axe all our excellent command and control centres and be a financial burden on the fire service and council tax payers for years to come. It’s expensive, it’s risky, it won’t save a single life and could end in total failure.
“Ministers are hiding the true costs from fire authorities and have made public claims which cannot possibly be justified. Slashing staffing levels from the 1,500 already over-worked personnel to 600 is dangerous folly which is why they want to keep the numbers secret.
“Our current ability to respond very quickly to fires, traffic accidents, flooding, environmental, chemical, nuclear and radiological incidents will be badly damaged. If such a key part of the fire service collapses into the total failure they say may very well happen then lives will be lost.”
Pointing to previous government IT project delays and failures, Mr Gilchrist said: “It won’t be benefits or tax credits being delayed, as happened after other Government foul ups, it will be a frontline 999 service. If the Government presses ahead with this folly they will have taken leave of their senses.”
According to the FBU, the leaked report suggests that closing the existing centres and opening new ones will cost £754.5 million, with possible savings of £42.3 million over ten years. But, it also suggests there may be a loss of £107 million over the same period.
The union is sending a copy of the document, with all the figures included, to all members of the Public Accounts Committee, all members of the ODPM Select Committee, the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Chancellor Gordon Brown, the National Audit Office and the chairs of all fire authorities.
The expunged version is currently out for consultation, with fire authorities asked to respond by February 5th.
