Volunteers to replace full-time frontline crews in Powys
Monday 18th July 2011, 12:50PM BST.
Voluntary firefighters will replace full-time frontline crews tackling emergencies in three Powys towns as fire chiefs “put lives at risk” in their attempt at cost-cutting, it is claimed.
Mid & West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is redeploying 21 firefighters in Newtown, Llandrindod Wells and Brecon to work in the community, carrying out activities such as home safety checks.
Their role will be filled by retained firefighters, who will respond to 999 calls and major emergencies – a decision blasted by Russell George, Montgomeryshire AM, who said he fears lives could be put at risk.
But the fire service said today that it would ensure standards would not drop and response times would not suffer in its bid to save £1.2 million.
Richard Smith, chief fire officer for Mid & West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said the fire authority was confident “there will not be a reduction in the standard of the emergency response service provided within Powys as a result of these changes”.
But Mr George, who is also a county and town councillor in Newtown, said: “Emergency services are now to be delivered by retained, part-time, firefighters. While I support their skill and commitment to the fire service, I am concerned that response times could increase and lives be put at risk.”
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Come on Shropshire Star, get your facts right!.
With nearly all of Shropshire covered by Retained Firefighters you should know they aren’t voluntary. They are paid a wage – and a good one at that too.
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I am a Volunteer Fire Fighter in Australia and here we are True Volunteers. No payments are made at all for our service unlike the retained service in the UK.
The Retained guys do a fantastic job and the Fire Service could not operate without them so before people give the “lives at risk” rubbish maybe they should look into the facts and figures first.
Here, as I said, we are all Vols and even with that we have an appliance out of the station (and generally 2) within 6 minutes of our pagers going off….day or night.
The UK Service Delivery Times may be different to ours but even so, the Retained Firefighters will be more than capable of meeting the communities needs.
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I am a Retained Firefighter in Powys. I am a fully paid professional whilst I am working for the Fire Service. I am not now, nor have I ever been a Volunteer.
You wouldn’t class part time workers anywhere else as volunteers so why do it to the Fire service.
I spend approx 140 hours a week on call. I would not class that as part time.
You should print an apology to all the Retained Firefighters you have annoyed and immediatly correct the story.
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