FIRE fighters from the district are taking to the streets to protest at funding cuts.


Most members of the Red Watch crew from Loughton fire station will be among those marching in Chelmsford today (Wednesday) as part of a strike to protest at full-time and specialist crews being axed.

John Ford, the officer in charge of the crew, said the cuts could mean one of the two full-time crews at the station was replaced with a part-time, retained crew.

“If there was a busy job, like a house fire, we would want two (fire engines) there as quickly as possible,” he said. “If one is retained or not available, there will be one appliance trying to deal with a demanding incident.

“We might be looking at 20 minutes, in a worst-case scenario.

“If you’ve got two appliances in full force, you’ve got eight personnel and you’re still hard pushed in the initial stages.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the time, we have a really good result and we don’t want that to go by the wayside.”

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has organised the strike and demonstration in response to plans they say would take the number of full-time crews lost since 2008 to five.

But Adam Eckley, the deputy chief fire officer for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS), hit back at the union, saying: “This strike is not about cuts. It is about the FBU flexing its muscles at the expense of Essex fire fighters and Essex communities.

“They have been promised job security and a commitment that ECFRS will not reduce the number of fire appliances or close fire stations.”

The strike is due to last until 9am tomorrow (Thursday).

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