Residents asked what fire service cuts they could stomach (From Gazette)
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Residents asked what fire service cuts they could stomach
6:13pm Thursday 29th July 2010 in
CLOSED fire stations, fewer fire engines and charges for rescuing pets could be on the way to Essex.
Essex County Fire & Rescue Service is asking residents what service cuts they would be prepared to accept as part of a “no holds barred” review.
A survey includes questions such as whether it would be acceptable or unacceptable for a local fire station to close if it could be delivered from a neighbouring station.
* See Friday's newspaper for the full story.
Comments(37)
ukman
says...
7:47pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Boris
says...
7:54pm Thu 29 Jul 10
torridpiper
says...
8:05pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Pets owners should pay and lockouts call a locksmith!!!
Colleen G
says...
8:15pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Service cuts my arse! If you cant do the job you're paid to do...sod off and we'll get someone else to do it.
Ontheball
says...
9:17pm Thu 29 Jul 10
The Fire Service is overloaded with too many chiefs now and any cuts should start there.
They struggle to cope now, especially as the majority of stations are manned by retained (part-time) firemen who are not always available.
At the moment they do a good job, but any cuts will, I fear, lead to an increase in fire/RTA related deaths and larger fires.
Klaus Waugh
says...
10:08pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Mary Lou
says...
12:12am Fri 30 Jul 10
Roj
says...
1:34am Fri 30 Jul 10
http://www.surveymon
key.com/s/ECFRS_Tran
sformation
Don't let another situation like loss of an appliance in Rayleigh happen elsewhere. The survey takes two minutes max and gives you a chance to say where you feel they are best making changes!
torridpiper
says...
8:45am Fri 30 Jul 10
Klaus Waugh wrote:Do not forget for one single moment that it is the banks and large companies that pay the majority of the tax burden that has increased 10 fold in the last 13 years.
We should all be utterly appalled by how dangerous this is. And of course all Tory cuts are part of the bosses' vicious class war; for instance, those of us housed in private rented (especially bedsits) are much more vulnerable to fire. The above comments that blame the politicians for the mess are quite right, but don't forget all those multi-billionaire bankers. Tax the rich. It's their mess.
That includes all the housing benefits paid by the hard pushed tax payers to all the benefit scroungers, that have been living in private rented housing, some tenants seem to forget some poor s-d is paying a mortgage for that property, and has the worry of having to pay and continually repair properties damaged by some of the parasitic low life tenants.
Do not forget Klaus that eventually the rich will run out of money and your communist idealist society failed in the Eastern block countries.
And as for the so called bedsits needing the Fire Service more what utter crap if they were more responsible for themselves and others then they would need the fire service no more than anyone else the only difference being the ones that actually pay for the service are normally are more responsible because they look after their hard earn't property.
Most fire's but not all fires start in rented property because, someone fell asleep whist smoking or left the chip pan on or allowed their children to play with matches, or couldn't be bothered to change the smoke detector batteries.
So get real and stop blaming the wealth generators.
silly things
says...
9:54am Fri 30 Jul 10
It would also help if they stopped buying new fire engines, the ones we have are good enough, and do the job, when money is at a sqeeze theres no need to replace them with newer versions that the fire fighters themselves dont really like.
Klaus Waugh
says...
10:14am Fri 30 Jul 10
2) Your comments about those of us living in bedsits just expose your very nasty prejudices against the most poor and vulnerable in society. Rackmanism is still rife - for instance, my girlfriend's landlord who earns many properties in this town does all his own gas maintenance (and no he is NOT Corgi qualified). So these properties are much more prone to gas/electrical faults etc than the homes of the middle class; as it's all about profits and profits only for the capitalist - be he large or small. These properties also have a much higher density of residence, so if somebody does leave a chip pan on it will then effect a lot of other people. For the better off such an accident will effect just that one household. However, this problem of high density housing also exists in council properties, as was demonstrated by the south London block of flats fire a year or so ago.
3) It certainly wasn't 'my system' of communism that failed in eastern Europe. Just like in the capitalist west, the 'communist' states had a small elite that lived off the backs of the rest of us. 'Capitalism is the exploitation of one man by another. Communism is the other way around.' I have certainly not called for any revolution, merely that the current mess is paid for by those that caused it.
geezer, innit
says...
10:55am Fri 30 Jul 10
If they think a smaller fire service is adequate let them deal with fires etc on their own!
Klaus Waugh
says...
11:52am Fri 30 Jul 10
And by the way, Geezer, very good idea!
Klaus Waugh
says...
12:10pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Lisa_at_ECFRS
says...
1:23pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Make your comments count by taking a couple of minutes to complete this short questionnaire: http://www.surveymon
key.com/s/ECFRS_Tran
sformation
Visit http://www.essex-fir
e.gov.uk or find us on facebook for more information.
APR
says...
2:18pm Fri 30 Jul 10
If there is anybody out there who seriously thinks that a "no-holds barred" review is going to make a sods worth of use, they are living in dream-land.
The only item that needs to be reviewed is when are ECFRS going to cut the massive number of employed "NON-FRONT LINE PERSONNEL" who mostly do absolutely nothing useful towards the primary function of Fire & Rescue, rather are more interested in lining their own back-pockets and getting their names in the media-spot-light, at the expense of the tax-payers and insurance companies who are or will be suffering from the "FRONT-LINE CUT-BACKS of FIRE-FIGHTERS / APPLIANCES & STATIONS TO PAY THE WAGES OF THOSE WHO ARE SO-CALLED USEFULLY EMPLOYED IN THE SHINY NEW H.Q. AT KELVEDON AND THUNDERSLEY."
To cut one or two of those jobs mentioned above, is likely sufficient to pay for all of the "Animal Rescues" which could easily still be carried -out by the existing Fire-crews and without the need for a specific ANIMAL RESCUE APPLIANCE, which ECFRS intended to bring on-stream. If owners are incapable of looking after & subsequently paying for those rescues, then perhaps they should have considered insuring against such events, the same as house-holders, business premises and vehicle operators etc. " That's not rocket-science. "
Perhaps the insurance companies would like that, as if all animal owners were so insured, perhaps the insurers can recover some of the excessive costs of destroyed buildings etc., due to the lack of a previously fully covered and efficient Fire & Rescue Service and in this ever expanding society that we are living in within the U.K. " That also is not rocket-science. "
It's not politics either, rather it's corruption and theft of public-funds (legal and/or other-wise. and allowed and controlled by those who hold the most senior-ranks within and without E.C.F.R.S.)....
Klaus Waugh
says...
3:14pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Lisa_at_ECFRS wrote:And then you'll just ignore anything we say and make dangerous cuts anyway. These public consultations are always a complete sham.
It is great to see so many comments here. This is the largest consultation ECFRS have ever launched and we want to make sure that everyone has their say.
Make your comments count by taking a couple of minutes to complete this short questionnaire: http://www.surveymon
key.com/s/ECFRS_Tran
sformation
Visit http://www.essex-fir
e.gov.uk or find us on facebook for more information.
Klaus Waugh
says...
3:26pm Fri 30 Jul 10
APR
says...
3:44pm Fri 30 Jul 10
.
Another lie.
.
No consultation took place, did it Mr Hardingham ?
geezer, innit
says...
5:39pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Lisa_at_ECFRS wrote:well for what it's worth I HAVE been and filled in the questionnaire.
It is great to see so many comments here. This is the largest consultation ECFRS have ever launched and we want to make sure that everyone has their say. Make your comments count by taking a couple of minutes to complete this short questionnaire: http://www.surveymon key.com/s/ECFRS_Tran sformation Visit http://www.essex-fir e.gov.uk or find us on facebook for more information.
torridpiper
says...
6:00pm Fri 30 Jul 10
State control does not work !!!
Long live Freedom of choice and speech.
Klaus Waugh
says...
6:22pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Lisa_at_ECFRS
says...
6:45pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Our intention is to gather the widest and most diverse input to the work we are carrying out on future-proofing the Service and its operations on your behalf.
If you would like to be kept up to date with this consultation or be further involved, please do let me know. You can do this by completing the last section in the survey.
Klaus Waugh
says...
6:57pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Lisa_at_ECFRS wrote:Does that actually answer my point about how you will be consulting with the older, more vulnerable members of our society? And while on this point, perhaps we should consider this idea of charging for pet rescue? Sounds all well and good for well off people like Torrid Argument, but what about widowed elderly people struggling to survive on a pension? A pet is so often a vital companion, so how much should we charge the elderly for this service?
The online survey is one part of a whole range of consultation and communications arrangements.
Our intention is to gather the widest and most diverse input to the work we are carrying out on future-proofing the Service and its operations on your behalf.
If you would like to be kept up to date with this consultation or be further involved, please do let me know. You can do this by completing the last section in the survey.
Boris
says...
10:51pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Anna Key
says...
7:54am Sat 31 Jul 10
torridpiper wrote:Wow! What do we have here? A real free market fundamentalist?! A proper full on anarcho-capitalist?! 'Long live freedom of choice and speech'?! Well obviously not for Klaus, who has managed to inflict 'communist oppression' on you with his somewhat tame liberal views, which did no more than answer point for point your own somewhat lengthy rant. Well I've some news for you. I am everything you hate. I am a low paid public sector worker living in bedsit accommodation. A 'parasitic lowlife' to use your actual words. And you can actually call me a 'commie', in that it's plain common sense to me that capitalism (even Klaus' version) cannot sustain planet Earth indefinitely, and we will eventually need to learn to co-operate with one another if the human race is to survive. Interesting this use of the word freedom. Well, as already has been established with Klaus, free speech does not even apply to the proponents of a liberal capitalism (dread to think what you'll do with me?!). So we're left with freedom of choice, and while I'm sure you couldn't care less about us 'parasitic lowlifes', my £13K a year doesn't exactly empower me as a consumer. There may be 30 different brands of soap powder to choose from, but I'll be 'choosing' the value. In fact, to really understand this point about freedom (which you never will because you're far too obsessed with class hatred), let's get back to the specific issue of fire service cuts. What about my freedom not to die in a fire caused by my corner cutting landlord or the guy in the bedsit downstairs with the chip pan?
Klaus The amount of comments that you have made on here confirm my belief that Communism of any shade relies on oppression and that is exactly what you have achieved with all your comments.
State control does not work !!!
Long live Freedom of choice and speech.
APR
says...
9:18am Sat 31 Jul 10
6:45pm Fri 30 Jul 10
The online survey is one part of a whole range of consultation and communications arrangements.
Our intention is to gather the widest and most diverse input to the work we are carrying out on future-proofing the Service and its operations on your behalf.
--------------------
-------------------
It's all very well asking people's opinions, but will anyone take any notice of them ?
If they do, it'll be a first.
.
As far as "future proofing" goes, how far into the future are we talking about, a year, two years ?
.
Or does the ECFRS management just want to be seen as a kind caring group of people, who don't close fire stations against the will of the people they so love. (who pay their huge salaries, and pensions) ?
simonsays22
says...
10:23am Sat 31 Jul 10
And Klaus you are a brilliant parody, you sound like Rick off the Young Ones. You appear to be living, typing proof that a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. And your argument that old people who love their pets will not be consulted because they do not have access to computers was very funny in that it was completely stupid. My advice for you young man is leave your bedsit, go out make some friends, get a hobby - table tennis is a wonderful game - and you will find a balance which allows you to be happy and might help you stop sounding like Citizen Smith. I ROFLed at disenfranchising the poorest coz of the internet. You are a parody aren't you?
Anna Key
says...
11:46am Sat 31 Jul 10
torridpiper
says...
12:48pm Sat 31 Jul 10
When the wall came down you lost tough sh1t !!
And as for the other commie that lives in a bedsit try doing like many before you that have prospered with a free market having started in life with less than a bedsit.
Get off your r's get on your bike and improve your life, it is a big world if you cannot improve your life here travel mate !!
Do not expect others to pay for you housing benefits bedsit !!!
Stop blaming the well off they worked for their wealth.
Mary Lou
says...
1:57pm Sat 31 Jul 10
.
I and many others can then pay for a private service to look after our interests.
.
Private security staff to keep watch on our properties. Private ambulance service and a private Fire Service that will only answer calls to events that endager those who subscribe.
.
Those who have paid in for more than 5 years get a free service. The rest estimated at some 20% of the population and who have never worked nor want to and rely upon benefits as a career, tough luck.
Klaus Waugh
says...
2:04pm Sat 31 Jul 10
Klaus Waugh
says...
2:15pm Sat 31 Jul 10
Roj
says...
9:06pm Sat 31 Jul 10
APR
says...
9:24pm Sat 31 Jul 10
10:23am Sat 31 Jul 10
APR are you a single issue nutter or just thick? We can all see you are very upset that at some point a fire station closed and are determined to be negative about everything based on that. .........
.....
If all else fails, and you don't have anything useful to add, resort to personal insults.
.
Gideon Smythe
says...
1:38pm Thu 5 Aug 10
So I'm very unlikely to need the emergency services. For a reduction in my council tax I'd happily pay on-demand if I ever needed the fire brigade. That way, poorer people would think twice before running around their houses with open petrol cans while having a cigarette on the go, or whatever it is the unemployed get up to these days.
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APR says...
7:07pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Are they now suggesting that this isn't true ?