Submitted by SWFBU on
Proposals to cut fire and rescue services in Gloucestershire should be rejected to safeguard public safety, say the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) who have today published their response to the public consultation over future fire service provision.
The union has called for local politicians at Gloucestershire County Council to reject plans that would close Painswick fire station and cut all the full time firefighters based at Cirencester fire station. The FBU say that people trapped in property fires and road traffic collisions will have to wait far longer for firefighters to respond to rescue them if the cuts are given the go ahead.
Scott Turner, local FBU rep in Gloucestershire, said: “The proposals would have a dangerous impact on the ability of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service to serve the public safely. Our capacity to deal with large scale, protracted incidents, including fires and floods would be compromised.
“Gloucestershire County Council seem to forget the lessons we learned from the extensive flooding that battered our county in 2007. If a similar tragedy befell our county again and we have suffered these devastating cuts we will be in a worse position to deal with the outcome.
Regional Secretary Trevor French added: “It is our view, having been on the streets of Gloucestershire, that the public overwhelmingly reject these proposals to cut our fire and rescue service. We have made the professional case against cuts and the public have made their opposition clear as well. It is time for politicians to rethink and reject these dangerous plans.”
You can read the FBU’s full response here: http://bit.ly/1musH81
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For more information contact:
Trevor French on 07967 018757
Scott Turner on 078906 30920
