Firefighter raises safety fears amid 'proposed cuts' (From Surrey Comet)
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Epsom firefighter raises safety fears amid 'proposed cuts'
7:00am Thursday 9th December 2010 in Epsom
A fire station manager has described the Miles Road fire as “more evidence against proposed cuts to the areas force”.
James Tigwell, watch manager and Fire Brigades Union (FBU) official at Epsom fire station, said Surrey County Council’s public safety plan would leave his station with half of its night-time capacity in a high-risk urban area.
The fire, at 5.30am required both of Epsom’s fire engines, something that would be impossible the plan is implemented.
Mr Tigwell said: “This fire highlights the need for a speedy response by the fire service with the right amount of fire engines and staff to immediately extinguish the fire and to stop it spreading to the adjacent property.
“Both fire appliances from Epsom Fire station attended this incident in 5 minutes.
“If the Surrey Public Safety Plan is agreed then the response for the above incident would only be one fire appliance from Epsom Fire Station, the next nearest Fire Station is Esher will be closed at this time, one fire appliance from Leatherhead which would take minimum of 16 minutes and two further fire appliances will be required from either Reigate which will only have one fire appliance and possibly one fire appliance from Painshill.”
Jean Martin, who lives next door to where the fire took place, said: “My understanding is that the house was saved because the fire engines were able to get there so quickly.”
“This is an essential service, that needs to be maintained.”
Chief Fire Officer Russell Pearson said: “These days we are called to more vehicle collisions than fires in homes, with demand particularly high during peak traffic times.”
Between October 16 and December 4 this year 60 per cent of the fires in Epsom homes occured between the hours of 7pm and 7am and required fire service intervention to extinguish.
