From The Daily Mirror:
NB Although the article doesn't mention it, Fire is a Devolved matter.This is for England & Wales only.
ONE in 10 firefighters face the axe amid Government cuts that will leave the service at “breaking point”, say union chiefs.
A Fire Brigades Union report reveals up to 6,000 posts are due for the chop in the next three years.
Yesterday its leaders warned lives will be at risk because with fewer firefighters 999 crews will be slower to respond.
General secretary Matt Wrack said: “We’re overstretched now and frontline crews are making it clear we’ll be at breaking point when the cuts bite over the next two years.”
Government grants to fire and rescue service budgets are being slashed by 30 per cent in the next four years and 1,000 firefighter posts have already been axed over the past year.
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My thoughts:
If they reverted back to a 3 watch system with a duty system of 2 days, 2 nights with one rota day they could lose 25% of the staffing levels. The massive wage bill is because of the extra shift brought in after the last national Firefighter strike in 1977. In this way, the cover for properties would be the same as it is now. Natural wastage and retirement rather than compulsory redundancies though.
Monday, 11 July 2011
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