Public consultation on the planned changes to manning will last until January 31. There is a public meeting at Abingdon Guildhall on January 15 at 7pm, where the management will present their proposed changes. The unions urge people to make their concerns known at the
union website.
In an attempt to ensure better fire cover is provided in some rural areas of Oxfordshire, Fire Service bosses are proposing cuts to the number of full time firefighter jobs at Abingdon and Didcot fire stations. In addition, those that remain will see their working hours radically changed. The Fire Brigades Union, who were not consulted on the proposal, are deeply concerned about the impact these changes will have for the people who live in the Oxford, Abingdon and Didcot areas.
If accepted, the initiative will reduce the number of full time firefighters at Abingdon and Didcot fire stations from 14 to 12 on each station. Alarmingly, there will be periods of time when none of the 12 firefighters are on duty. Part time firefighters will fill the gaps when they are able to do so. Firefighters are worried that these changes will lead to an increase in the time it takes for the Fire Service to respond to emergency calls, with the possibility that it could lead to more fatalities.
Already in South Yorkshire similar changes have escalated into a dispute. Bosses have served notice to terminate the contracts of over 700 Firefighters unless they accept the changes being imposed upon them.