The FBU has reacted with anger that firefighter jobs are under threat in North Wales as the fire service are set to cut budgets by £2m. Fire stations could also be shut or downgraded as well as appliances being up for the chop. The union has vowed to fight the plans ‘tooth and nail’.
Cerith Griffith, regional secretary of the FBU in Wales, said: “The cuts being considered are nothing short of apocalyptic for the fire service in North Wales. Even the chief fire officer has warned that any further cuts would put firefighters and public safety at risk.
“A few years ago when the fire authority looked at removing the second appliance at Wrexham, the FBU were clear that this would mean a slower response time to emergencies. These new set of proposals are far worse. Lives will be lost as a result.
“Last august a person was killed in a house fire because crews had to travel further then normal to respond to the incident. This is exactly the scenario that will become more common if these cuts are given the go ahead. The FBU does not want this to become the new normal in Wales. We will fight every single of these dangerous proposals.”
The options under consideration by the fire authority include;
- Removing the second fire appliance from Wrexham fire station or changing its hours so it is crewed in only the daytime.
- Deeside and Rhyl fire stations could be downgraded from 24 hour stations to day crewed only, with retained firefighters covering night shifts.
- One or more retained stations could close
- Changing one or more wholesome stations to retained.
