The FBU has won its fight to maintain night time fire cover at two stations, and has increased the number of fire engines in the region from 26 to 30. The locally run campaign opposed cuts proposed by the fire authority to remove night time fire cover, and achieved widespread political and public support.
Almost 20,000 members of the public signed a petition opposing the removal of night time fire cover at City Centre and Wallasey fire stations. Working with Labour Party branches, Constituency Labour Partys, local MPs and the Mayor of Liverpool, the FBU forced the fire authority to reconsider.
In light of the FBU’s campaign, the chief fire officer put forward the following proposals:
• Increase the number of fire engines from 26 to 30
• Increase firefighter jobs from 620 to 642 (+20 recruits in training)
• Maintain night time fire cover at City Centre and Wallasey fire stations.
Commenting on the success of the campaign, Mark Rowe, FBU regional secretary in the North West said:
“We welcome these proposals and we urge the fire authority to fully support them. Our success shows that an organised and focused campaign, which includes the local communities and political groups, can deliver significant results.
“The FBU, in the face of almost a decade of savage austerity, has shown that we can mobilise massive support and resistance, to not only stop proposed cuts, but also overturn previous cuts. It is undoubtable that the public of Merseyside will now be safer due to the determined efforts of the FBU. I want to thank each and every FBU member, and the public, who have supported this campaign – without them, we would not have achieved what we have.”
