Front line fire and rescue services across the county are in danger of being axed due to drastic spending cuts. Less than two years after ‘efficiency savings’ saw firefighters made redundant and stations close, West Sussex County Council are demanding further savings.
A reduction in the grant from the government combined with a freeze on council tax increases has affected every department within the county council.
The fire service has to find £2.5 million in savings from its budget despite claims by the Prime Minister that frontline services will not be cut.
Mick Cambers the Fire Brigades Union chairman for West Sussex said, “Cuts on this scale will increase the times that firefighters take to attend emergency incidents. This will endanger members of the public involved in an incident and put firefighters attending such emergencies at greater risk. Fire appliances carry the phrase ‘making West Sussex Safer’. If these savage cuts go ahead that commitment will be severely affected”.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service employs 950 personnel. Over the course of a year approx 11000 incidents of all types will be dealt with. A call to the fire service will result in a fast and professional attendance. These cuts will seriously put the future of that high level of service in doubt.
One of the proposals is to remove the fire appliance from Horley fire station. This will affect response time into Horley town. The people of Horley should make themselves aware of this, as West Sussex County Council has no obligation to consult there.
Public consultation is now in progress. The union has serious concerns at how low profile and vague this process seems. I would seriously urge members of the public to visit the West Sussex County Council web site and look at the depth of information that is available for you to make an informed response to the Fire Redesign proposals.
Public consultation ends 21/09/2012. Let West Sussex County Council know your views.
