West Sussex plans for firefighters' strike

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has urged residents and businesses to take extra care to protect themselves during the strike.

The Fire Brigade’s Union (FBU) has announced a national strike will take place between midday and 4pm on Wednesday, September 25.

A spokesman said the service had been ‘putting robust contingency plans’ in place to minimise the impact of the strike action and provide the ‘best possible level’ of emergency 999 response.

Plans including using retained firefighters and non FBU members.

Priority

Chief fire officer Sean Ruth said: “The safety of the public and our staff is always our priority and I want to reassure people in West Sussex that we will still provide a response to emergencies during this industrial action.

“Naturally, we had all hoped that strike action could be avoided.

“If the strike goes ahead it will certainly be a challenging time, but if it does then I am confident emergency fire and rescue services can be maintained in West Sussex through a combination of retained firefighters, officers, and non-FBU personnel.

“If you have a genuine emergency you should still dial 999.

“Inevitably though, a period of industrial action would mean our normal level of response would be reduced and so I would urge the public to take extra steps to protect themselves and reduce the risk of emergencies occurring.

“Simple things like ensuring your home has a working smoke alarm, not leaving cooking unattended, and extinguishing cigarettes properly can make the difference between needing to dial 999 or not.

“Obviously, we still hope that negotiations between the government and the FBU will continue and this dispute can still be resolved.

“However, as an emergency service we have a statutory duty to prepare contingency plans for staff shortages, regardless of whether they are caused through industrial action, extreme weather, or pandemic flu etc. We’ve taken steps to prepare and we’d urge the public to do the same.”

National dispute

West Sussex County Council member for residents services Lionel Barnard said: “This is a national dispute over which we have no local control.

“It is not a dispute between West Sussex firefighters and the county council.

“However, I can reassure the public that our fire and rescue service has well developed plans to minimise the impact of this strike and provide emergency services to our community.

“Of course, residents, businesses, and people travelling in our county can help by taking extra care and reducing the demand on 999 services.

“I’d therefore urge everyone to follow the fire and road safety advice they are given.

“We are still here if you need us, but prevention is better than cure even during normal service levels and especially so when there could be fewer firefighters available.”

Information

Regular fire and road safety advice will be issued in the run up to and during strike action on the service website: www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire and on social media.

The service can be followed on Twitter at @WestSussexFire #takeextracare.