At least one of the fire engines that played a vital role in tackling a major fire in Gorton, Greater Manchester on Sunday night is set for the chop, it can be revealed.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have today said that under budget slashing plans by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, one of Gorton’s two fire engines will be withdrawn from duty during the evening.
The decision to “dual crew” the specialist equipment (whereby one crew is charged with staffing two vehicles) used to tackle the fire at the newly built block of flats has also sparked criticism. Two aerial ladder platforms were mobilised to deploy an elevated stream of water to the fire. However, it meant that other life-saving fire response vehicles were left unavailable in the event of other emergencies throughout Sunday night.
Gary Keary, secretary of the FBU in Greater Manchester, warned that cuts to fire services at night could spell disaster. “Firefighters were called out to the Gorton fire at 8pm and were there through the night. It is essential that the fire service can mobilise all of the life-saving resources that they need to an emergency scene, no matter what time it is”, he said.
“The latest round of budget cuts mean that there will be fewer fire engines available at night and we’ll be less likely to keep everyone safe as we were able to at this fire. If another emergency had been called in at the same time, the results could have been tragic.”
