South Yorkshire fire crews say NO to Small Incident Units.
South Yorkshire fire crews say that the introduction of small vans to replace fire engines will cause ‘intolerable risks’ to safety.
The fire service has said that Small Incident Units have already been in successful operation for around two years, with no reported accidents.
The small fire units are commercial vans painted fire service red with the addition of blue lights and high-visibility stripes. The vans are able to carry a limited amount of water.
John Gilliver from the Fire Brigade union said: “Fire professionals know every large fire starts as a small fire and we don’t always know what we will find when we arrive. Firefighters will be put at intolerable risk at incidents if they are deployed in these vans. If a small fire has spread to a building with people inside, then two or three firefighters are not enough to deal with that safely. Everything that makes you a firefighter will push you to enter the building, even with the greatly-heightened risk you will face. We face risks in the hostile environments in which we work, but we know how to limit the risks to us when there are enough personnel, equipment, proper procedures and training. These small fire units will not provide that. It places intolerable pressure on the officers in command at the scene and leaves them vulnerable if anything goes wrong. Firefighters have been killed in situations where there is a lack of personnel, equipment and training. This is all entirely foreseeable and the introduction of these vans is reckless and totally unacceptable.”
A spokesperson for the fire service said “We are extremely disappointed the FBU will still not allow its members to carry out the necessary training for the Small Incidents Unit, which has passed a series of rigorous and independent safety examinations and has responded to more than 700 fires successfully since August 2009. We are keen to introduce the SIU to Elm Lane station in full accordance with the Fire Authority’s decision following a full public consultation. It will respond to small incidents in the Sheffield area, keeping rescue pumps free to attend life-risk incidents. We have always stated the SIU will not be mobilised to any type of premise fire or vehicle fire. We remain committed to the introduction of the SIU to enhance fire cover in the Sheffield area and strongly urge the FBU to allow its members to begin training for the vehicle.”
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Fire Brigade Union says new CARP engines are ‘unsafe and unreliable’
Concerns have been raised about the safety of the new Combined Aerial Rescue Pumps used by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services.
The vehicles which cost around £2m have been condemned as ‘unsafe and unreliable’ according to the Fire Brigades Union in South Yorkshire.
Mr Gilliver from the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) said: “They’re constantly being repaired and a fire on an appliance had to be extinguished by crews. They’re appalling, they’re an absolute joke. We’re concerned for the safety of the crews going out on these vehicles. Management are saying these are teething problems, that’s simply not true. I’m an appliance driver with years of experience and yes, we’ve had teething problems before, but never to this level. One day I’m sure someone will be killed. They should come off the road, enough is enough, we need to get to the bottom of what’s going on with these vehicles. We are determined to rectify these issues.”
A spokesperson for the fire service said: “We have experienced a number of operational issues with our CARP appliances since they first became available in April. We are currently investigating three incidents which occurred in the past week. Our investigations into the issues reported since April show that some have been mechanical faults and some were due to operator error. Like the FBU, we are concerned about these issues and are working tirelessly to address them to keep the CARPs available as often as possible. The public of South Yorkshire are safer as a result of the CARPs being available since we have four in the service, compared to the three aerial platforms. CARPs are also immediately available upon first arrival at an incident, unlike the aerial platforms, and provide £1m per year in savings. We are determined to rectify these issues to ensure their ongoing availability to keep the public safe.”
Discussions into the fate of the appliances continues.