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Last year, London's fire service management produced its 'London Safety Draft Plan' - which soon became known as the 'Daft Plan' to firefighters and their union, the FBU. The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), proposes to:
- close Manchester Square Fire Station in Marylebone;
- reduce staffing levels at fire stations with two fire appliances;
- remove fire appliances from the following fire stations: Westminster; Knightsbridge, Kensington; Euston; Acton; Bethnal Green; Clerkenwell; Dockhead; Greenwich and Islington;
- cut 178 firefighters' jobs across London, including 32 in our neighbouring Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Hackney has four fire stations - at Shoreditch, Homerton, Stoke Newington and Kingsland. Although none face the axe, Hackney's fire cover will be adversely affected in several ways:
- The cuts in neighbouring areas - particularly the loss of fire engines at Bethnal Green and Islington - will draw fire cover away from Hackney.
- When firefighters have to travel further, they are less likely to have the detailed local knowledge that enables them to tackle fires effectively - eg. gaining quick access to estates and tower blocks.
- There will be cuts in staffing levels in Hackney - for example, one watch at Homerton faces being cut from 13 firefighters to 9 - a punishment for having an attendance record that is too good!
Over 200 people attended a public meeting organised by the FBU in Bethnal Green in January. The union has also been campaigning on the streets outside fire station. It has received overwhelming support from the public, getting 3,000 singatures on its petition, and over 6,000 letters of protest.
The formal consultation has now finished, but the fight against these vicious cuts goes on. The fire authority meets on 17th March to make a final decision - read details of the FBU's planned protest here [0].
As local FBU rep Karl Haider told Hackney TUC, "These cuts are an attack on firefighters and on the safety of the public. We want trade unionists and local communities to unite in active campaigning against them."
You can get more information from FBU London region's website [1].