THESE CUTS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN
A petition is now available at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/NO-TO-FIRE-CUTS/ The more people that sign, the better chance we have of having these cuts being reversed. If you feel, as I do, that lives should come first then please add your name.
ONE DAY THIS WILL AFFECT YOU OR YOUR FAMILY - THIS PAGE IS ABOUT ILFRACOMBE AND NORTH DEVON BUT THESE CUTS ARE HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY - IT'S TIME THE GOVERNMENT REALISED THAT LIVES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN MONEY AND MADE THE FINANCES AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO RISK THEIR LIVES EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR TO SAVE OTHERS
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AT RISK: FIRE SERVICE CUTS
WILL COMPROMISE SAFETY
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority is making budget cuts. The authority accepts that some of the options they are considering
Ilfracombe is one station that was under threat of losing it's whole time cover.For the moment that has been averted but the ariel platform at Barnstaple is losing it's crew.
The Devon & Somerset Fire authority has voted to keep the whole time at Ilfracombe and to man the platform by a dual role system. This means that if the crew are busy elsewhere then the platform will not be able to be manned and as has been shown in Ilfracombe over the past couple of days that can be a matter of life and death.
Firefighters could be left in the impossible position of either standing back and doing nothing until the necessary resources arrive and risking the public, or ignoring basic safety procedures and risking ourselves.
This is not only about our response to fires. We are now an all-round rescue service responding to an increasing range of incidents from road traffic accidents, major flooding, water rescues, structural collapses, chemical incidents and a range of terrorist incidents ....and we respond to fires as well.
We are always there for the public when you need us. Now we need you to help us stop these proposals.
Cuts have been sorted for this year but it's a reasonable assumption that next year the same financing problems will arise. Please add your weight to the petition which is on line now at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/NO-TO-FIRE-CUTS/This petition is on the number ten web sit. So is directly put before the government at it's conclusion. It is set to run from now until August. Your signature will count.
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THESE CUTS HAVE TO BE STOPPED - AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO HAVE YOUR SAY -
IT'S TIME LIFE WAS PUT BEFORE MONEY SO GET BUSY AND E MAIL THE PEOPLE LISTED BELOW
THE CHIEF FIRE OFFICER,
DEVON AND SOMERSET FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE,
SHQ,
CLYST ST GEORGE,
EXETER,
EX3 0NW
SEND A COPY OF YOUR LETTER TO YOUR MP AND BOTH LOCAL AND NATIONAL PRESS
E MAIL BRIGADE HQ AND 10 DOWNING STREET
LET'S GET DEMOCRACY WORKING AND MAKE THEM SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE.
DON'T LEAVE IT TO OTHERS TO WRITE -
REMEMBER IT COULD BE YOU PERSONALLY THAT SUFFERS AS A RESULT OF THESE PROPOSED CUTS --
ACT NOW
IF YOU ARE FROM OUTSIDE OF THE AREA THAT THE ABOVE REFERS TO THEN PLEASE REMEMBER IT IS NOT JUST IN THIS AREA THAT THE CUTS ARE HAPPENING- THEY ARE HAPPENING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND IT IS TIME FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC - PEOPLE LIKE YOU - TO SAY NO
TIME FOR YOU AND ALL OF US TO TELL THE GOVENMENT THAT WE WANT OUR FAMILIES PROPERLY PROTECTED WITH THE RIGHT NUMBER OF CREWS WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.
IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR GOVERNMENT TO PUT US FIRST.
Sign the petition http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/NO-TO-FIRE-CUTS/
| Subject: |
Public Safety |
| Date: |
Thu, 3 Jan 2008 11:33:27 -0000 |
| From: |
Ralph Howle <rhowle@dsfire.gov.uk> |
| To: |
ilfracombe.towncrier@googlemail.com |
Thank you for your email commenting on the proposals in our Draft Corporate Plan 2008/09 to 2010/11.
Your views are important to us and will contribute to the report that will be considered by the Devon and
Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority on 12 February 2008.
Kind Regards
Ralph Howle Project and Planning Manager
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Thank you for your email.
During the Fire Authority Meeting on Friday an update was given by Chief Fire Officer Paul Young on the incident your refer to.
The Fire Authority decided to make no changes to crewing arrangements at Ilfracombe, Exmouth, Paignton or Plympton Fire Stations. In order to make the savings that were needed the Authority agreed recommendations to introduce the dual crewing of aerials at Torquay, Exeter and Barnstaple Fire Stations. The implementation of those decisions will not take effect immediately but will be introduced over the year ahead.
Kind Regards
Anne Harrison-Bailey
Consultation and Strategic Support Officer
Service Planning and Review |
THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM THE COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT SITE
Developing the future of the Fire and Rescue Service
Communities and Local Government has put in place the legislative framework and introduced the relevant policies to underpin that legislation. The Fire and Rescue National Framework sets the priorities and objectives for the Fire and Rescue Service and a program of improvement measures has been introduced and (MY COMMENT HERE- IF RESURCES HAVE BEEN PROVIDED THEN WHY ARE WE HAVING CUTS?)
Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRA's) are already implementing and delivering much of the improvement agenda locally and where appropriate, or required, regionally and nationally. Significant progress has been made and the department continues to work in partnership with its key stakeholders and through the overarching National Framework so that the Fire and Rescue Service will be able to not only effectively and efficiently deliver and sustain the fire and resilience improvement agenda but be able to respond to future challenges.
This section contains information on Integrated Risk Management Plans [IRMP's], the fire service improvement program and the fire and rescue service national framework.
SEE THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE
DEATHS AND INJURIES
• The provisional (see note 6) total number of fire deaths recorded in the UK. Deaths in dwelling fires fell by 4% to 362
from 377 in the previous year, while deaths in other buildings rose to 36 from 27.
There were 79 deaths in road vehicles compared with 62 in the previous year. In
England, 405 fire deaths were recorded. Of these, 286 were in dwelling fires and
63 in road vehicle fires.
• In 2006, the number of injuries in fires in the UK fell by 4% to 13,600 from 14,100
in the previous year. Injuries in dwelling fires fell by 4% to 11,100. In England,
10,900 injuries (down |
(I've not been able to find the figures for 2007 yet)
IF, like me, you cannot see the sense in it then please Sign the petition http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/NO-TO-FIRE-CUTS/
TOWN WITH A HISTORY OF FIRES
PREVIOUS DESTRUCTION BY FIRE IN ILFRACOMBE
12:00 - 13 December 2007
Filled with tall Victorian buildings, many of them converted for multiple occupancy, Ilfracombe has suffered more than its fair share of fires in recent years.* The most recent was at the Berkeley Hotel in Wilder Road at the end of November (pictured right).
* In May this year, the seafront Collingwood Hotel - undergoing conversion to a Wetherspoons pub - was hit by fire.
* In August last year, fire ripped through the derelict Montebello Hotel in Fore Street. The blaze was so big it could be seen from the South Wales coast |
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| *Just over two years ago, another empty hotel, the Cliffe Hydro, finally fell victim to the fires that had plagued the dilapidated building. |
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*In August 1983, the Candar Hotel and a neighbouring arcade were destroyed by a fire (pictured right) which claimed the life of one man and left eight people - six of them firefighters - with injuries. |
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1896 a major fire started here scroll down to see the result
Cole's Furnishings (now Yam Yamz)were the source
of the Great Fire of Ilfracombe.
At 12-40 in the morning of 29th July 1896 the
alarm was raised.
Within four hours 35 businesses and houses had
been burnt to the ground, many others were damaged.
The fire had spread from coles Furnishings across
the street to the Arcade and also up and across
Portland street.
In September 1983 a similarly destructive fire
destroyed the rebuilt arcade and the Candar Hotel.
Not horse drawn fire engines this time but
22 tenders from all over North Devon.
One person died in this fire.
WITH CUTS TO THE SERVICE HOW LONG BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN.
FEBRUARY 14th 2008 - A MAJOR FIRE IN A BLOCK OF FLATS IN HILLSBOROUGH TERRACE - ONLY THE FAST RESPONSE OF THE WHOLE TIME SERVCE AND THE ATTENDANCE OF THE AIRIAL PLATFORM HAVE SAVED THE LIVES OF THE RESIDENCE
I wonder what the result would have been if the Fire at the Royal Marsden Hospital was attended by retained crews with no whole time available.
As it was the crews attending would have been all whole time and as we saw no lives were lost. Don't we deserve the same cover??
Let me know your views here so I can publish them to the world
COPIES OF ALL E-MAILS RECEIVED WILL BE SENT TO THE COUNCIL, LOCAL MP's , NUMBER 10 AND ANYONE ELSE I CAN THINK OF THAT MAY HAVE SOME INFLUENCE-IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR MAIL USED IN THIS WAY THEN PLEASE SAY SO IN THE MAIL.