Retained firefighters jobs at risk

Retained firefighters at Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service have been told their jobs are at risk.

The nine men in Guernsey and Herm have normal jobs in the community but are called in to assist their colleagues when there are large incidents.

Unite regional officer Bob Lanning confirmed the men had been given letters following a review of the service.

That had originally suggested cutting the hours that full-time firefighters did and increasing those the retained firefighters did.

But that option was ruled out, leading the service to review its use of retained firefighters.

A spokesman for Guernsey Fire and Rescue said it had been asked to identify areas that could contribute to the overall savings required of the Home Department in the States savings programme, called the FTP.

"Preliminary investigations suggested that the retained section of the Fire and Rescue Service in Guernsey, although valuable at times of high activity or major incident, are very rarely utilised.

"As a result, a detailed review that is solely focussed on those employees is now being undertaken to identify if the section still provides value for money or if the cover they provide could be provided in a more cost effective manner."

It is thought that the move could save £85,000.

But Mr Lanning questioned the motives behind the review. He is due to meet the men next week.

"You have to ask yourself why they are there in the first place. They were there for a reason, has the reason suddenly disappeared?

"If the review is only about saving money, then absolutely we'll fight it. This is an essential service on this island and it can't be all about cost," he said.

"You could have a major incident here. You've got fuel depots on this island and I just hope you've got enough full-time firemen to deal with it."

If we are to save money then something has to give.We may not like it but services must be cut or taxes increased.Bear in mind that in the event of a major incident we can call on Jersey for assistance within a couple of hours.