CFO’s Proposed CUTS!!!
 
The Official Public Consultation period for the Fire Authority 3 year IRMP Plan has started and is due to conclude on the 14^th March 2008.
It is vitally important that EVERYONE, all employees, your family, your family’s family makes their views known on the proposed CUTS by responding to this public consultation process.

Write to:

The Chief Fire Officer, Fire Service Headquarters Summergroves Way, Hull, HU4 7BB

Today, a lobby of East Riding Councilors took place and a big thank you to all of those who attended. The East Riding Council decided it is to now hand these proposed CUTS over to their Scrutiny Panel for examination. The FBU will get the opportunity to make a presentation to the Panel and then their findings will be then reported to the full council and they will decide on their response. The FBU are confident that the Scrutiny Panel will be of the same opinion as them regarding the proposals.
Don’t forget to register your name in the various petitions that are now ongoing at Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, The Grimsby Evening Telegraph and the Goole & Howden Courier. There are also other online petitions up and running regarding Waltham and Kirton Lyndsey Fire Stations.
The links are copied below
:
Waltham Fire Station
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SAVEKIRTONFIRESTATION
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savewalthamfirestation?e
http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/firepetition
http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/firepetition
http://www.letmehavemysay.com/view/9/closure-of-fire-stations/
 
Every single Fire Fighter needs to get active and oppose these CUTS, In the 3 years of past IRMP’s (loss of 86 FF posts) and the proposals in the next 3 years IRMP proposals (estimated at 100 -110 FF posts) Humberside Fire & Rescue Service will have lost nearly 200 front line emergency response fire fighters. That’s around a fifth of the number of professional fire fighters employed.
Humberside Fire & rescue Service’s motto is ‘safer communities; Safer Fire Fighters. We’d like to know how this is the case when 4 Fire Stations are closing, another is losing a pump and another is having its wholetime crewing response replaced with retained duty system response.
The FBU needs YOUR assistance; don’t just let others do the fighting on your behalf. Write or even better meet with your local MP, Councilors tell them that you want them to write to the CFO, demand that your local council opposes these CUTS.
There will be various events over the coming months organised to voice our opposition to the CFO’s proposals, PLEASE make sure YOUR WATCH send an attendance.
If anyone wants to receive up to date information direct to your home personal e-mail address please forward your address to ian.murray@fbu.org.uk and you will be then included in a newsgroup newsletter. (no spam..honest)
If you want to know how you can help with the campaign to save front line fire fighter posts please contact a Brigade Official

Apparently the formal Consultation period for the proposed CUTS has started. The Humberside Fire Authority (HFA) has its own consultation strategy that is based on the cabinet office ‘code of practice on written consulation’ This outlines that there should be a 12 week period of consultation and HFA have stated this will be their standard other then exceptional circumstances.

The FBU as a stakeholder have NOT yet formally received the Official IRMP document so even by their own standards they have set are cutting it fine to get the 12 week consultation period in before the alleged closing date of the 31st March 2008.

The FBU believe the consultation process has some major flaws within it. How can the responses that will finish coming in on the 31st march 2008 be fully collated and then put into a report for the 4th April 2008 in order that Fire Authority members can consider their value and then make their opinions of these responses, so that they can then go on to make their own decisions on the values they hold. 

If HFA hold any true value on this consulatation process they should receive the report of the responses from the consultation period and then wait while at least the following month to make their decisions on whether to oppose or approve the CFO’s proposals, not receive the report and then decide the same day within a few hours.

The FBU has officailly launched its campaign to fight the cuts being put forward as part of HFRS’s 3 year IRMP Plan. The CUTS involve the closure of 4 stations and the reduction of a pump at Immingham and one of the whole time pumps at Goole to be crewed by retained duty fire fighters thus removing its immediate response capability.

The FBU have now started a political campaign to get as many town, parish unitary authority councils involved in this fight to oppose the Fire Authorities proposals.

Local papers are giving tremendous support, the Grimsby Evening Telegraph, The Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph and the Goole & Howden Courier have all started their own petitions up to ‘STOP THE FIRE CUTS’

Locally the stations affected by these closures are lobbying their own councils and those of neighbouring towns and villages to gain support and are doing a brilliant job.

its now everybody’s fight, so get involved sign up to the petitions, write to the Chief Fire Officer and voice your opposition, write or even better meet your local councillors / MP’s and get them involved and finally contact your FBU Officials to ask how you can assist.

STOP THE CUTS!!!! 

 

The consultation period begins in the new year on the CFO’s proposals - namely the ‘Resource disposition’ a misleading title for what is effectively a reduction in the Service we provide, CUTS!!!

It is vtally important that as many people as possible take part in this consulation process, both as employees of Humberside Fire & Rescue Service as well as being residents of the communities that will be affected by these proposals. It is also vitally important that we make our communities aware of these proposals that are being put forward and get them to respond to the CFO voicing their opposition to the CUTS!!!

Arrange to talk to your local representatives, local councillors and MP’s. we need Parish and Town councils to public oppose these CUTS!!! and make their views known. The local Fire Brigades Union are mounting a campaign and need all of the help that you can provide. Attend your Branch meeting that will be arranged early in the new year, contact a Brigade Official to ask how you can assist with the campaign.

Sign up to the on-line petitions set up by the Fire Stations proposed for closure and the online petitions that the Grimsby Evening Telegraph and Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph have set up. The links are on our Home Page, sign up todayand get your family and friends to sign up. The more people the better, if enough people of the communities covered by the Humberside Fire Authority respond opposing these CUTS!!! then their voices cannot be ignored. OPPOSE THE CUTS!!!