Mass evacuation following city centre fire in Nottingham
It has been reported that around 1,400 people had to be safely escorted from a Nottingham city centre nightclub due to a blaze breaking out in an empty building nearby.
Fire crews were called to Goldsmith Street just after 1am where the Rescue Rooms nightclub as well as student accommodation in the vicinity of the building had to be evacuated.
Other precautionary measures included the closing off of Goldsmith Street and Talbot Street, while tram network services were suspended.
It was confirmed that it was all carried out safely by the fire service working with police and there were no injuries as a result of the fire.
Inspector Ian Cresswell of Nottinghamshire Police reiterated this when he said:
“Nobody has been hurt as a result of the fire and people were evacuated as a precautionary measure for their personal safety.
“The fire has now been contained and we are continuing to assist the fire service while they carry out their work at the scene.”
The fire in the disused building caused disruption to commuters looking to get to work the next morning as fire crews stayed at the scene to ensure the structure was safe.
An investigation is now underway into the cause of the blaze.
Manchester MP advises against cuts to fire service
MP Tony Lloyd has risked the wrath of the fire authority by questioning the wisdom of job losses due to recent budget cuts, warning that this could pose a ‘serious risk’ to the safety of the public.
The Fire Brigades Union expect around 150 jobs to be lost after a reduction in the Greater Manchester budget. The number of firefighters employed on 999 fire engines may also be dropped down considerably.
Labour MP Mr Lloyd said:
“It is clear these cuts cannot be implemented without serious risk to residents and will put in jeopardy the brigade’s ability to respond to real emergencies.
“Senior people in the fire service share the concerns I have. I unashamedly have links with lots of trade unions and if they bring issues of public concern to me I will raise them.”
However, Councillor Paul Shannon (Liberal Democrat), Chairman of Greater Manchester’s Fire and Rescue Authority, has responded by saying:
“I question Tony Lloyd’s sincerity as he’s not even picked up the phone to the chief fire officer or me to raise his concerns. The fire authority is picking up the pieces following Labour’s recession.
“The broad future strategy was agreed unanimously, with all-party support – including 14 Labour councillors.
“Tony Lloyd should apologise for his scaremongering and irresponsible comments.”
Decision yet to be made on fire services in Sterling
The Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service are expected to make their decision on possible job cuts or station closures in November. Until then, the position will not be made clear.
The fire service had previously warned that it is having to face up to cuts of 12-25 percent during the next four years and so savings will have to be made in some areas to make up for the loss of £4 million.
Speculation has been rife that this will take the form of job losses and the closure of certain stations as seen in other areas of Britain recently. However, Chief Fire Officer Kenny Taylor would not confirm any definitive service changes.
He said:
“There are number of things being looked at but no firm commitment to any of them. It might mean a revised duty system, it might mean we have to think about changing a full time station to part time or changing the part time status of others. It’s all on our radar.
“At the end of it there could be a detailed reshaping of the service, but we do not want compulsory job losses.”
Reviews have taken place as to the potential for the sharing of emergency services premises, but the final decision will not be made for another two months.
Union proposes alternatives to Norfolk fire service plans
The Retained Firefighters Union (RFU) has put its case forward regarding the cuts which are expected to be rolled out if the recent consultation is approved.
This issue has raised many concerns with retained firefighters in the region, who have been looking at other measures which could limit the proposed changes which includes the removal of frontline fire engines and a reduction in staffing levels.
A union representative, Neil Harvey, said:
“Unfortunately the figures within the proposals simply do not add up and, rather than save money, it would appear that costs will unnecessarily increase.
“The proposals aim to reduce the number of retained firefighters by up to 26, in addition to about 24 full-time firefighter posts being lost. The draft plan also looks to totally remove two frontline appliances and replace three more with alternative vehicles that are unable to respond to primary fires and carry less crew.
“There is no doubt that should these proposals go ahead, the changes will increase the risk across the county and the level of resilience provided by the fire service will also deteriorate.”
The draft plan includes reductions of over £1 million and now the 12-week consultation period has ended, the firefighters will have to wait until October for the final decision.
Scottish fire services moving towards merger
The new fire chief of Lothian and Borders has admitted that a merger of the fire and rescue services in Scotland is looking more and more likely.
Since he took on the role in July, Jimmy Campbell has been considering the situation faced by fire services in the country as public sector cuts come into force.
The future for fire services in Scotland will involve a number of changes to ensure that efficiency is achieved and the merger may be the only way to achieve this.
Mr Campbell explained:
“We don’t know at this stage what cuts will be expected in services like ours but with commentators speculating on cuts from 12% to as much as 25% we know these cuts will be significant and there is no way that cannot affect how we currently do business.
“I am seeking a national approach from the fire and rescue services’ chief fire officers to establish a realistic direction and course of action that fundamentally protects our frontline firefighters and maintains the quality standard of services that the people of Scotland have come to expect.
“If we look at the number of fire and rescue services in Scotland there must be a better way of doing things.”
It looks like fire services in Scotland will go from eight into three to cover the north, west and south east areas of the country.