Firefighters in Gloucestershire have reacted with anger at the announcement of “dangerous” plans to close Painswick Fire Station and cut frontline services at Cirencester Fire Station.
The plans to cut budgets by £2M over three years were published by Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue in their consultation document Fire and Rescue: Future Service Provision.
Tam McFarlane, Fire Brigades Union rep for the South West, said: “These proposals would compromise the safety of the public and firefighters in Gloucestershire. They are short sighted, dangerous and put budget cuts in front of public safety.
“If the cuts go ahead they would compromise the safety of people not just in Painswick and Cirencester but also in the surrounding areas where fire engines would be required to answer emergency calls. The FBU will be campaigning vigorously against these proposals and will be holding local politicians to account with a clear message – cuts cost lives”.
Scott Turner, local FBU rep for Gloucestershire, said: “These plans are disgraceful and show the potential consequences that budget cuts have on public safety. Firefighters in Gloucestershire utterly condemn these proposals and we will be demanding that politicians reject them and instead, invest in our service.
“Every day, our members put their lives on the line to protect public safety and yet we are treated with utter contempt by politicians who put balancing the books ahead of protecting our communities. We will fight these dangerous plans and demand that they are rejected.”
