Gordon's Fire Brigade Changes Concern
Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden has written to Lancashire’s Chief Fire Officer Peter Holland raising further concerns about some of the proposed changes to Emergency Cover of the Fire and Rescue services in the Town.
The initial proposals, released by Lancashire Fire Service at the end of last month changes the crewing systems and types of vehicle available in Blackpool, though there are no specific changes at present earmarked for South Shore Fire Station. In his letter, Mr Marsden draws attention to the significant savings anticipated across the Fylde, ‘higher than in any other part of Lancashire’ and his concerns that any ‘slimming down of Wholetime Fire Brigade crewing could leave us with little margin for coping in the case of major fires’, such as the Clifton Street and Grand Hotel fires this year in the town centre and South Shore. ‘Had any exacerbating factors been in place, very stormy winds, people trapped and unable to be evacuated, lack of ability to call in extra force from nearby might increase the risk of fatality in any future incident.’
Mr Marsden has also urged the Fire Brigade to look at making sure new working patterns that might require fire crews to stay overnight ‘over the shop’ does not jeopardise morale, ‘their community contribution is highly valued and greatly appreciated’
‘Our Fire Services do a tremendous job and while the Fire Authority has to look at ways of ensuring value for money to council tax payers, I want to see them look very specifically at being sure they have enough cover in any new proposals if we were to have further major fires in the Town Centre. Their document at present is very unspecific on that, we need more facts and figures and assurances, as do the fire crews themselves’.
