(a)  the provision of information, publicity and encouragement in respect of the steps to be taken to prevent fires and death or injury by fire;
(b)  the giving of advice, on request, about—

(i)  how to prevent fires and restrict their spread in buildings and other property;
(ii)  the means of escape from buildings and other property in case of fire.

7 Fire-fighting(1) A fire and rescue authority must make provision for the purpose of—

(a)  extinguishing fires in its area, and

(b)  protecting life and property in the event of fires in its area.

In making provision under subsection (1) a fire and rescue authority must in particular—

(a)  secure the provision of the personnel, services and equipment necessary efficiently to meet all normal requirements;

(b)  secure the provision of training for personnel;

(c) make arrangements for dealing with calls for help and for summoning personnel

(d)  make arrangements for obtaining information needed for the purpose mentioned in subsection (1)

(e)  make arrangements for ensuring that reasonable steps are taken to prevent or limit damage to property resulting from action taken for the purpose mentioned in subsection (1).

8 Road traffic accidents 

(1)A fire and rescue authority must make provision for the purpose of—

(a)  rescuing people in the event of road traffic accidents in its area

(b)  protecting people from serious harm, to the extent that it considers it reasonable to do so, in the event of road traffic accidents in its area.

(2) In making provision under subsection (1) a fire and rescue authority must in particular—

(a)  secure the provision of the personnel, services and equipment necessary efficiently to meet all normal requirements;

(b)  secure the provision of training for personnel;

(c)  make arrangements for dealing with calls for help and for summoning personnel

(d)  make arrangements for obtaining information needed for the purpose mentioned in subsection (1);

(e)  make arrangements for ensuring that reasonable steps are taken to prevent or limit damage to property resulting from action taken for the purpose mentioned in subsection (1).

Emergencies

The Secretary of State may by order confer on a fire and rescue authority functions relating to emergencies, other than fires and road traffic accidents in relation to which the authority has functions under section 7 or 8.

An order under this section may require functions conferred on a fire and rescue authority under this section to be discharged outside the authority’s area.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/21/pdfs/ukpga_20040021_en.pdf 

 

What do the FBU say?

Cambridgeshire at risk as faulty fire engine breaks down after warnings from union

 

Just 12 days after Cambridgeshire fire chiefs ignored the professional concerns of frontline firefighters about the serious unreliability of the Multistar Combined Aerial Appliances – the £650,000 vehicle has broken down again. The experimental vehicle is supposed to combine a fire engine with a high-reach aerial vehicle.

This latest breakdown leaves the historic city of Cambridge without a high-reach aerial capacity while it is taken away for repair. The nearest high-reach fall back vehicle is now in Peterborough, 30 minutes away. There would otherwise have been a similar Multistar Combined Appliance available 30 minutes away in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. However this is also currently broken down and has been off the run since May last year.

Cameron Matthews, secretary of the FBU in Cambridge, said: “This proves why fire chiefs should have listened to the concerns of the professionals serving on the frontline who are the experts in using the equipment and the ones who must rely on it during 999 emergencies. If the chief fire officer had listened and postponed the decision to remove the reliable Turntable Ladders engine then Cambridge would now have a tried and tested backup still in place for our communities today.

“Instead, our community and firefighters are now at unnecessary risk. Fortunately, this time the breakdown did not occur while firefighters were actually attempting a rescue. A similar failure in the past on the Peterborough Multistar, occurred whilst actually tackling a fire. We can only hope that a life or a historic building is not lost because of the lack of high-reach aerial capacity as a result of this breakdown and the premature decision to de-commission the reliable Turntable Ladders.

“To make things worse, due to the “combined” nature of this vehicle its breakdown has also meant it’s “fire engine” capability was also lost from Cambridge City. There were no spare fire engine replacements available and so one fire engine had to be taken from Soham Fire Station to be placed in Cambridge City, leaving Soham’s community with reduced fire cover.

“Reductions in fire cover and specialist rescue capability puts public safety and firefighters at increased risk. We urge the chief fire officer and fire authority to listen to the concerns of firefighters before it is too late. We will be calling for a full enquiry on behalf of our firefighters and the people of Cambridgeshire as to why the decision was made to remove the Turntable Ladder engines entirely from the county leaving us all in this dangerous position.”

Questions have also been raised over the scrutiny of the original decision to buy the experimental “combined” vehicles at a cost of £650,000 each and the seemingly misplaced determination to try and prove they have not been a huge mistake.

Jamie Wyatt, secretary of the FBU in East Anglia, added: “Frankly, this latest breakdown comes as no surprise given the notorious unreliability of these vehicles to date.

“Cambridgeshire FBU wrote to the service less than a fortnight ago reminding them that these combined vehicles have been plagued with serious faults and making the reasonable request that management simply delay the removal of the reliable Turntable Ladders that had served the county for many years until the new Multistar Combined Aerial Appliances might prove their reliability.

“However fire chiefs ignored these genuine concerns and the common-sense approach suggested. Now, it is the public and firefighters and some of the country’s most important historical buildings that are being placed at increased risk.”