Teen beauty spot drinkers are ramblers, not rebels
- Dave Burrows
60 Shropshire fire jobs to go as tax rate pegged
Thursday 24th February 2011, 11:30AM GMT.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service bosses today confirmed up to 60 jobs were to go as they announced they had frozen its part of the council tax.
The service had previously announced plans not to replace up to 60 firefighters, operational officers and support staff who are due to leave in the next four years.
The move will help the service to meet funding cuts of more than £3 million.
The cost of running the service in the next financial year will remain the same at £1.61 a week for the average band D household across the Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Council areas.
Stuart West, chairman of Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority, said: “It wouldn’t be appropriate to increase council tax during these difficult financial times for hard-working families and with help from Government we are not increasing council tax this year.”
He said “significant savings” still had to be made but the chief fire officer and his teams were working hard to ensure the delivery of a safe and effective fire and rescue service for the public.
“We charge the average household £1.61 per week for our service but we are one of the highest performing services in England and so providing excellent value for money has always been at the forefront of our minds,” said Councillor West.
He added the service would see significant reductions in Government funding and would have to cut more than £3 million from its budget by 2015.
Chief fire officer, Paul Raymond, said: “We have plans in place to spread our budget reductions over four years. This will enable us to make changes in a controlled fashion and, as far as possible, minimise impact on the way we deliver our services to the community.”
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The cost of 1 pint a week £2.60
The cost of a pizza a week £2.99
Having one of the uk’s best fire services protecting me and my family priceless.
£1.61 a week to keep me, my family and my worldly possession safe is bargain of the century
It’s just a shame society isn’t willing to pay a few more pence to ensure the service runs at it’s best
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This was my thought too. I would have thought most people wouldn’t object to paying a bit more for a properly staffed and well equipped Fire and Rescue Service.
As long as they didn’t go and spend the money on yet more ‘administrative’ and non- operational staff. Of course.
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On Friday I left Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service due to the cuts. I was one of those ‘administrative’ members of staff. I worked at the training centre on Stafford Park. What people don’t realise is administrative staff and non-operational staff are an integral part of the service.
These jobs allow the trained Firefighters to do what they do best. They have not spent their time training to then sit at computers typing course reports or doing jobs that the General Duties staff do on a daily basis.
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Hhaving visited many fire stations through my work thats where money can be saved – get the firefighters to do some of the administrative staffs work at night or when on standby
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i agree totaly with you Liz,none fire service people understand that. Jeepers seems to have a big chip on his shoulder. But no one should have an opinion only him.
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Given that there are only three fully manned fire stations in Shropshire; Shrewsbury, Wellington and Telford (Stafford Park), and all the other stations rely on the goodwill of retained firefighters just who exactly are they getting rid of ?? I think we deserve a higly accurate breakdown of exactly what parts of this essential service are going to be affected as they could litterally be ‘life threatening cuts’ !!!
On a similar note, I remember last year the policing part of our council tax was increased to cover investment in additional officers etc (4000+ it was called) – now that their numbers are being slashed can we have a council tax rebate please ????
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How many fully manned fire stations Shropsman? Your local knowledge leaves a bit to be desired I think !!!
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You’re not allowed to say ‘manned’ any more, it’s ‘staffed’, the fruits of going on a diversity course have not been wasted on yours truly.
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Four wholetime stations (Shrewsbury, Wellington, Telford, Tweedale) and 19 with retained crews. So Shropsman is mostly correct.
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According to the excellent crew that operate from my local station, just the three that are manned by permanent staff on a 24 hour basis – all the others are retained stations whereby firefighters have to be called from their ‘normal’ jobs/lives to man the engines.
Obviously if you know different I bow to your better knowledge but have no reason to suspect our local firefighters knowledge is not accurate.
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There are 4 Wholetime Stations – Shrewsbury, Wellington, Telford and Tweedale, there are 23 Retained stations of which 3 of the above are included, Shrewsbury, Wellington and Tweedale.
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Now is the time for the ordinary citizen to stand up and become part of the BIG SOCIETY.
We dont need to pay hefty amounts of taxes to pay for someone to put fires out, we can all muck in, just like it was a couple of 100 years ago, stand in line and pass the buckets down.
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I hope this comment is tongue in cheek. Have you ever been involved in a fire with heat in excess of 1000 degrees, choking toxic smoke burning your lungs, and not being able to see your hand in front of you, not knowing your way out to escape. A couple of hundred years ago no toxic smoke, thousands of gallons of water are required now to extinguish fires a lot of buckets and people to stand in line.
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Well Jeffrey, it was very much Tongue in cheek, i hope that our great emergency services are not in anyway cut, and i include Police and Ambulance as well as our Militery, which under the Tory led goverment is an Ideology crusade.
Colin D,
No insults towards fireman, but sadly if the service is cut, we could find ourselves in such a predicament where its all hands to the pumps, i for am not happy about these cuts, and wiull no longer give my vote to either the dems or the Cons.
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A good point is military pay – reductions imposed on simple allowances our servicemen recieve for working away from home and family for up to 300 days a year are being cut as from May 1. The average military man working away from home can expect a £1800 cut to his income plus a two year pay freeze starting Apr. The politions still enjoy and recieve the same allowances they steal from our military and also have awarded themselves a pay rise. One must also feel for those poor Arriva train staff that have rejected a 12% pay deal for that a job that is simpler than driving a bus!
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Even if this comment is tongue in cheek it is very ill advised. It is an insult to firemen everywhere who risk, and often lose, their lives protecting the public.
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While firefighting is highly risky for us “general public” it is not so much for a professional with years of experience, the best training known to man and millions of pounds worth of equipment…
How many firemen die each year in service in the UK?
I bet it is a lot less than soldiers, or even painters and decorators for that matter.
This is typical scaremongering… they will be getting rid of a receptionist and an admin assitant in each office. No big deal.
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Wow Tory boy. Those two pompused, out of touch, couldn’t give a damn about the ordinary working classes, Eton boys have really got you sold haven’t they?
This is an essential Service like many, that shouldn’t be touched, end of.
However, although I support Shropsman’s comments in comment 2, i’m not sure as the retainers do the job out of “goodwill”. In Oswestry they put more lives at risk driving at crazy speeds through residential areas to ensure they are on the pump that departs, ie the biggest earners. Although, quite rightly they should be paid, and dont get me wrong, i’m gratefull for the Service they provide. But take their handsome claims away and i’d doubt you’d see many there out of goodwill.
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I totally agree with DaveS (Above).
I live on the route to one of Shropshires retained stations and know when there is a ‘call’. The cars can be anything upto double the speed limit and a complete menace to other road users.
I know from first hand experience that the first 6/8 staff based there are the ones who go out to whatever they are required for. Hence they get paid more for their ‘turnout’. I know that the management of SHropshire Fire do say that they are not allowed to speed and break the law – however they are well aware it happens as they would not get to the station in the alloted 5 minutes, so turn a blind eye. I’m not bashing the system just let’s not make out they are superheroes.
My experience?, an old boyfriend was retained.
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Quite right, retained fire fighters have to comply with all the rules of the road.
I have recently read that one particular reason why they are not allowed to exceed the posted speed limit is because they will not be insured for ‘emergency services use’ and that would be a whole heap of trouble especially if someone was seriously injured en route to the call-out,when you think of some of the recent insurance payouts it’d be like signing your home over to the victim.
All emergency service personnel are told one thing ” no emergency is so great as to justify an accident, it is far better to arrive late than not at all”..thank you Roadcraft.
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Stand in line & pass buckets down……………..I bet you wouldn’t fancy the idea of doing that if it was your family inside the property. All for the sake of saving a few pence each month!
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I’m sorry to have to say this but some will find a ring of truth in it, there will be a number of the population that will crow about the level of cover at such a ‘small price’ yet these people pay little or no council tax and tend to cause the lions share of call outs. Collective responsibilty for funding the service also means collective responsibility in behaving in a responsible manner.
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Before we even enter the debate
1. Install a smoke alarm in your property
2. Do not smoke inside your property
3. Do not put the deep fat fryer on when in less than sober condition.
These 3 points would instantly help matters without having to worry about the costs involved to the taxpayer.
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Correct. If people would just stop having fires then we won’t need a fire service at all.
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Quite right..people trapped in their mangled cars should be able to chew their way out with their teeth.
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As an ex Shropshire Firefighter I would say with some confidence that no Firefighter posts would go. (I believe that arises from the usual media scaremongering). The brigade is however full of overpaid white collar workers and massive amounts of bureaucracy. (Hence the reason I left). The retained system needs a massive overhaul. Although very cost effective it needs massively modernising as it is extremely difficult to manage. The introduction of Retained Support Officers covering stations (at £20K+ per year) to sit at stations just ‘waiting’ for a call whilst they pay 2 firefighters to fit alarms at over £10 each per hour (Plus their retaining fee) is nothing short of criminal. The money could be found very easily. Don’t presume that people are going to start dying. That just won’t happen if managed properly.
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In a reverse of the janitor at Cape Canaveral apocryphally saying ‘I put people on the moon’, I’m sure there are plenty of ‘white collar’ workers in the fire brigade who help put fires out just not directly.
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Perhaps you would care to do a little research before proclaiming your confidence? the website of your former employer details the propsed cuts over the next 4 years – 16 Firefighters go in year 1 alone, 60 over 4 years has been ageed by the fire authority
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I don’t need to do research, as it is an opinion.’Proposed cuts’ is the key word. Not confirmed cuts.
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The Fire Authority voted to agree the cuts, over the next 5 years 60 posts will go, the break down is 52 uniformed staff (from Firefighter up to senior manager) 2 special appliances will no longer be crewed by wholetime stations. The remaining 8 posts will be from civilian support staff.
Too late for opinions
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Some people need to realise you can’t put a price on a life. shropshire fire and rescue saved more than 10 lives last year whether from car crashes or house fires. £1.60 odd per week is a small price to pay for professional staff to look after us. the police don’t even turn up half the time. call the fire brigade and they are there with in 20 minutes where ever you are in the county. good value for money if you ask me and i live in the sticks miles away from a main road. well done lads and lasses from SFRS.
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I suppose that once a fire is out it is out, other than prevention work that is in the main their work. Granted the police don’t come out all of the time that must be mainly having to deal with the same whingers time after time and then there’s the paperwork to sort before the miscreants are put before the courts and sent on a six month anger management course in Barbados.
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