A petition urging the fire service not to make firefighters redundant and scrap one of the city’s fire engines has been signed by more than 400 people.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has put forward proposals after cuts have forced it to find ways of saving £1million by 2018/19.
One proposal involves removing a fire engine from either Preston Circus in Brighton or Hove, leaving four based in Brighton and Hove plus the aerial ladder platform.
Another involves converting Roedean into a “day crewed plus” fire station, where staff would stay in on-site accommodation according to a rota.
The petition has been started by Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Brighton Kemptown Nancy Platts, who has highlighted that the fire service estimates removing an engine from Preston Circus could mean one extra person dying every 5.3 years in the area, or every 9.1 years if the appliance is cut from Hove.
She said: “People will be astounded to know the consultation document claims there will be no significant impact on predicted fatalities.
“I believe that one extra death is one too many, if these cuts go ahead it will mean the unluckiest lottery of all.
“We all need to know that if we have to call 999 we will get the help we need, this consultation document shows that won’t happen for everyone.
“There are only five fire engines for the whole of Brighton and Hove, these proposals would take one away at a time when our population is growing and more properties are being built.”
A consultation into the plans ended on Monday, and the findings will be heard at a meeting of the Fire Authority in June.
Last week, Fire authority chairman Phil Howson said it needed to save £7.1million over five years. He said: “The usual reaction when considering emergency services is to be against change but there are very good reasons for us looking at how we work.
“The community needs have changed.
“We have significantly fewer call outs now than in previous years. This is in part due to the success of our work in preventing fires and other emergencies.”
The Fire Brigades Union has urged it to look at back office savings, and has proposed reviving the idea of a merger of East and West Sussex’s fire services.
They don’t let you sign unless you also provide either a phone number or an email address over and above street address…..election coming…and I don’t want to be lobbied. There is no need whatsoever to given an email and/or phone number. None at all.
The ESFR website also carries its own petition to sign. Recommend it.
They don’t let you sign unless you also provide either a phone number or an email address over and above street address…..election coming…and I don’t want to be lobbied. There is no need whatsoever to given an email and/or phone number. None at all.
The ESFR website also carries its own petition to sign. Recommend it.
Sorry Valerie, but you talk rubbish, I signed today, no mention of phone number, and email address was optional. Yes, a street address so that the. petition is signed by legitimate people. Who gives abutt nugget if elections are coming? You get bombarded with leaflets anyway!
If me receiving extra leaflets is what it takes to know help will come in case of an emergency, who gives a … Yea
Sorry Valerie, but you talk rubbish, I signed today, no mention of phone number, and email address was optional. Yes, a street address so that the. petition is signed by legitimate people. Who gives abutt nugget if elections are coming? You get bombarded with leaflets anyway!
If me receiving extra leaflets is what it takes to know help will come in case of an emergency, who gives a … Yea
Perhaps, rude Anna, they changed it to remove the request for a phone number? It WAS there when I used the link, and it put me off. I instead signed the ESFR petition on their own website instead. If you want to do something proactive, lobby the Green cllrs who will be doing the voting.
Perhaps, rude Anna, they changed it to remove the request for a phone number? It WAS there when I used the link, and it put me off. I instead signed the ESFR petition on their own website instead. If you want to do something proactive, lobby the Green cllrs who will be doing the voting.