Fire crews to share rescue jobs

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service announced it plans to “switch crew” staff between its aerial ladder platforms and rescue tenders.

Switch crewing would mean one crew of two firefighters would be used to operate both appliances.

These are currently staffed by two crews.

However, the service insists “additional resilience” will be available so local fire station managers can make the decision to release firefighters from ordinary fire engine duties should both special appliances be needed.

The plans have now gone out to consultation with both staff and unions.

Assistant chief fire officer Gordon Hunter, director of operations and resilience, said: “Once the consultation has concluded, the service will begin the phased process of implementing the changes.

“These new arrangements offer a reliable method of crewing which is relatively simple and consistent in operation, releases resources for redeployment to meet increased risk elsewhere, and one which provides increased flexibility and resilience in respect of availability that is then managed at a local level.”

During the past three years, the county’s five aerial ladder platforms have been used at 362 incidents, which equates to an average of one incident every two weeks.

The service is also reviewing the role of its four rescue tenders, used for incidents such as car crashes, to improve and enhance their capability.

In the past, these appliances were equipped with specialist rescue gear, but such equipment is now on all ordinary frontline fire engines, which are often first on the scene.

Fire chiefs plan to adapt the equipment on rescue tenders to deal with more heavy rescue incidents such as accidents involving lorries, railways or planes.

Paul Moth, secretary of the Essex branch of the Fire Brigades Union, said, although he had had verbal discussions about the proposals, he did not want to comment until he had read the paperwork in detail.