News UNDER THREAT
Plans for a drastic downsize of the town's fire station have caused widespread disbelief and horror.
One of the station's two fire engines could be reduced from full-time to a retained service from October, 2009 if proposals go ahead, with staff being redeployed in Humberside.
Several of Goole's councillors and MP Ian Cawsey have condemned the plans.
Cllr Keith Moore, for Goole's North ward, said: "These proposals are ludicrous and will undoubtedly cost lives if they are implemented."
Cllr Pat O'Neil, for Goole South, said: "There was an agreement that when Bridge Street is closed due to bridge failure or repairs, then a full-time crew and appliance would be stationed in old Goole to ensure a rapid response to a fire in old Goole. These cuts would remove such protection and people's lives and property will be at serious risk.'
Jean Kitchen, the Mayor of Goole, pointed to the problems in Old Goole and the Marshland villages. Goole firefighters are regularly called to derelict farm buildings on Swinefleet Road.
Meanwhile, Ian Cawsey, MP for Brigg and Goole, said he was "shocked' to learn of the proposals.
"I would have thought that with the growth of Goole and the surrounding area, the new industry that is setting up in the town and with the proximity of the motorway, then there is not really a case to change the arrangements here," he said.
"These are matters for the local fire authority, which is made up of local councillors. I am seeking a meeting with their chair, Cllr Doreen Engall, to discuss this at her earliest convenience."
Resident Daniel Read, of Fifth Avenue, also contacted the Goole Times to question the predicted three-minute increase in response times. 'I, personally, think this is impossible. Everyone who lives or works in Goole knows all too well that it can take ten minutes just to cross the barriers on Boothferry Road sometimes.
"However, even if by some miracle three minutes is an accurate increase, I think this is unacceptable from a service where every second can be vital."
Currently, both fire engines at Goole are manned by full-time crews. Retained firefighters usually have full-time jobs outside firefighting and attend emergencies as necessary.
Humberside Fire and Rescue Authority have said that the proposals, which are a result of three and a half years of research into where call-outs are received and were calculated with the help of computer software, would maintain "an excellent level" of community protection. Humberside's chief fire officer, Frank Duffield, insisted that the cuts were not about money and would not have been proposed if they were going to put people's lives at risks.
He described Goole as one of the quietest stations, and said the money saved from the area-wide cuts would be used to buy better equipment to deal with incidents such as road accidents. More money will also be spent on community work, to help reduce the number of house fires.
However Irvin Hunt, divisional secretary for the Humberside branch of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), told the Goole Times the changes would benefit neither the firefighters nor the community.
"What we're looking for is Safer Communities, Safer Firefighters," said Mr Hunt, quoting the slogan on the fire service's website.
"Cutting a second pump doesn't lead to safer communities or safer firefighters.
"To deal with any house fire, you need a minimum of nine firefighters to deal with it safely."
The first pump at Goole Fire Station is crewed by five firefighters and the second by four.
Under the plans, the second engine would be retained, and Mr Hunt said this would mean the firefighters would have to dress and drive to the incident, and could arrive nine minutes after the first engine.
"You need a minimum of nine firefighters before you can make any sort of effective rescue. So you'll get nine minutes when all those five firefighters can do is stand aside and pour water. That's an incredible moral pressure."
Mr Hunt said that delays to firefighters going in to a house fire could mean not only the loss of the person they were rescuing but of the firefighter as well.
Taking away a full-time crew would leave just two full-time crews in the whole of the East Riding - one at Goole, the other at Bridlington.
"It's not acceptable," said Mr Hunt. The FBU held an emergency committee meeting on Monday, when they agreed to scrutinise the computer system used to calculate the changes and launch a campaign shortly.
A 12-week consultation period, which will include meetings with residents, is due to begin shortly.
Goole's councillors urged people to make their feelings known.
Published on 20th December 2007 in News.
Add to: Digg | del.icio.us | Reddit
Comments
Posted by Goole Resident at 13:52:05 on 20 December 2007
Cawsey bad wagon jumping again we see
Comments are closed for this article.