Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, is speaking at 11am today at the Local Government Association Fire Conference in at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.
He is part of a panel discussing ‘The case for change’ in the fire and rescue service alongside Paul Fuller, president of the Chief Fire Officers Association, and Peter Holland the Westminster government’s chief fire and rescue adviser.
Wrack is expected to say: “Firefighters want to provide a world-class fire and rescue to the communities we serve, but the case for change turns on improving the quality of our service and elevating the role of firefighters themselves.
“What is currently happening is that fire stations are closing and fire engines being axed as firefighter jobs are slashed. That is simply worsening the service for our communities and already means people waiting longer for a fire engine when they dial 999.
“The FBU has pioneered change in the fire and rescue service since the Second World War but we will not countenance slashing our service and dressing it up as an improvement, nor embrace so-called innovation if it really means a worse service or worse conditions.
“Firefighters want a service that can respond rapidly to a wide range of emergencies, has consistent, universal and professional standards at its core, but this is reliant on sustained investment, not even more cuts.”
