Trust in the Goddesses (From Gazette & Herald)

Trust in the Goddesses

ONLY nine ageing army Green Goddesses will be available to serve the whole of North Yorkshire when firefighters strike.

In other developments this week:

The county council issued a statement calling on the public to check homes, schools and places of business for any potential fire risks;

North Yorkshire police are to be asked to work overtime to support the Green Goddess operations;

Retained part-time firefighters in the district at meetings this week will decide if they will joining the full-time professionals' strike action.

Public safety officials have cautioned that the nine Green Goddesses will not be able to provide normal coverage in the county. In North Yorkshire and York, 45 regular fire tenders are normally available to deal with the average 60 emergency calls made each day in the county.

Furthermore, the army fire appliances will take longer to get to call-outs because they can only manage 35mph.

Nor will they carry the specialist cutting equipment needed to deal with road accidents - which make up 40pc of call-outs in the county.

The figures were revealed by deputy chief fire officer Nigel Hutchinson. He said that he could not pretend that cover across the county would be adequate. North Yorkshire County Council is urging the public to prepare for the fire fighters' strike by examining their own fire safety procedures.

Schools and businesses are being advised to check that all fire risk assessments and evacuation procedures are up to date and appropriate. People should also assess appropriate evacuation procedures in their own homes.

During the strike, the county council will support the police from their control centre at Newby Wiske, and from the county councils office at County Hall, Northallerton.

The nine Green Goddesses assigned to cover North Yorkshire and York will be strategically placed around the county.

Robin Myshrall, head of emergency risk management at North Yorkshire County Council said: "As a county council we will give our full support to the police and military, 24 hours a day. It's crucial that all involved parties work together, but also just as important that businesses and the public take precautions against the risk of fire too."

Nationally, a large number of retained firefighters, who are members of the Fire Brigades Union, voted to join in the fire service walkouts. However, not all retained firefighters belong to that union.

In the Ryedale district, there are retained firefighters at Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Pickering and Sherburn. Each of the units has a weekly training session and at those sessions, they are expected to decide whether or not to respond to calls.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Deputy Chief Nigel Hutchinson said he hopes to now by the end of the week, or very early next week, how many retained appliances will be available to respond to calls.

Police officers in North Yorkshire are in line for large overtime payments as a result of the firefighters' strike.

The ageing Green Goddesses are less mobile than normal fire engines and must be accompanied by a police car to ensure a smooth passage through traffic.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has said central Government will pay any overtime for police officers escorting the vehicles when the first walkouts start next Tuesday.

Les Coverdale, deputy secretary of the North Yorkshire Police Federation, said the cover would cost in the region of £4,000 per day for an extra 18 officers, more than £200 per officer per day.

Bob Blackburn, regional secretary of the York and Humberside branch of the Fire Brigade union, described the decision as "hypocritical".

He said: "If the Government can afford to pay overtime, then why are they insisting that there's no money for any increase in firefighters' pay? It does strike me as being a bit hypocritical."

Chancellor Gordon Brown has said he would not provide any extra cash to settle public sector pay claims like the firefighters' demands.

The FBU has called for a 40pc pay rise, taking firefighters pay up to £30,000.

Ministers want the firefighters to wait until an independent review of firefighters' pay and conditions, ordered by the government, which is due to report in December. The FBU has said it does not trust the review to be truly independent.

Yesterday, the union was in talks with the Government which is seeking assurances about what sort of cover firefighters would provide in the case of a large-scale emergency.

Following the overwhelming national vote to strike, John Mitchell, county branch secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "This is the hardest decision that any firefighter has ever had to make.

"They know more than anybody the consequences of withdrawing their services. But they feel they have had no choice but to vote for strike action. When the news of the vote came through, there was a reaction of shock, of realisation that we have come to this, of sadness, frustration and infuriation."

The following dates have been set for strikes:

9am Tue, Oct 29, to 9am Thu, Oct 31;

9am Sat, Nov 2, to 9am Mon, Nov 4;

9am Wed, Nov 6, to 9am Thu, Nov 14;

9am Fri, Nov 22, to 9am Sat, Nov 30;

9am Wed, Dec 4, to 9am Thu, Dec 12;

9am Mon, Dec 16, to 9am Tue, Dec 24.

A spokesman for the national union said: "Our dispute is not with the public, who are showing us tremendous support, and we will therefore ensure public safety is guaranteed for November 5 and the Christmas period."

Updated: 08:56 Wednesday, October 23, 2002