When: 11am onwards, Thursday 2 October 2014
Where: Roald Dahl Plass, The Oval Basin, Cardiff Bay, CF10 6AN
Senior managers at North Wales Fire and Rescue Service have warned that if their budgets continue to be frozen then frontline services would have to be reduced – days before the FBU’s anti- cuts Ring of Fire tour comes to Cardiff.
The service could see its frontline firefighting force cut by a quarter, 17 of its 54 fire engines lost and the closure of 9 of its 44 fire stations, in order to find another £3m in savings over the next five years.
Shane Price, FBU brigade secretary for North Wales, said: “Cuts on this scale will absolutely devastate fire cover in North Wales.
“Not only will it compromise public safety because 999 emergency response times will increase but it will also put firefighters at risk because they will be dealing with incidents that are much more developed.”
This news comes shortly after authorities in South Wales announced their own round of cuts which will see the closure of Blaina and Porth fire stations and the removal of a fire engine from Cwmbran.
Cerith Griffiths, FBU regional secretary, said: “The Ring of Fire tour will be in Cardiff Bay and this will give Welsh firefighters the chance to demonstrate against the cuts that are being inflicted on the Welsh Fire and Rescue Service.
“The event has been organised to coincide with the union’s recent report Sounding the alarm: the future of our fire and rescue service and we would urge the public to come along and talk to firefighters about the threat to their profession.”
