Lack of firefighters in Basildon 'is life threatening'

A family was left homeless after a house fire in Rectory Road, Pitsea, which was caused by a discarded cigarette setting bedding on fire.

Despite Basildon being home to two appliances, fire crews from Orsett, Corringham and South Woodham Ferrers had to respond as they were tied up at other house fires in Benfleet and Canvey.

The Fire Brigades’ Union has highlighted this as an example of the “dangerous reality” of recent cuts to the fire service.

Union secretary Riccardo La Torre said: “This is getting truly frightening. The effects of these cuts are no longer abstract. They are a dangerous reality that comes with a human cost.

“One Basildon pump was in Benfleet who had its second pump cut and one Basildon pump was on Canvey who had their full time crews cut so there was no Basildon fire engines available for a Basildon house fire.

“The cuts have gone dangerously too far. Historically, crews do get pulled off to go elsewhere but it’s usually only for large jobs.

“Three house fires is a fairly busy night but we should be able to deal with that - it’s our bread and butter.

“If there was a fire in Orsett or Corringham, lives could have been lost.

“Even the people in Basildon might think they’re fine because theirs haven’t been cut but the reality is they get dragged away elsewhere.

“In a post Grenfell world, you would think they would already be taking it seriously but I don’t know what has to happen to make people sit up and listen.”

The concerns were shared by Basildon councillor Andrew Buxton.

The Labour representative for St Martin’s ward said: “Austerity cuts are really starting to hit home and it’s going to put people’s lives at risk. I think we were only one fire away from a fatality. They are building so many houses but we just do not have the fire crews to cover it safely.

“They need to invest more money and stop cutting front line services. We are in the 21st century - we need crews available. The Government and the fire chief need to wake up and look at what’s happening. It’s scary and something needs to be done before it’s too late.”

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst said: “The Service has over 70 fire and specialist vehicles throughout Essex, and through our pre-planning we ensure we keep our response times to a minimum.

“Firefighters provide an Essex-wide response, which means the Service regularly moves fire engines to provide temporary cover and did so on this occasion.”

Dave Bill, director of prevention, protection and response for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: “The first call was received at 8.11pm. The first crew from Orsett, who had been standing by at Basildon, arrived on scene within four minutes at 8.15pm, closely followed by South Woodham Ferrers at 8.19pm. This is well within the target response time for incidents where there is a threat to life.

“Although crews acted in a thorough and professional manner, for which my thanks go to the firefighters who attended and the Control staff who provide 24/7 dedicated cover to move our resources, unfortunately a family was made homeless - the thoughts of the Service are with the occupants.

“The fire was caused after a cigarette ignited bedding materials when one of the occupants fell asleep while smoking and the smoke alarm did not activate.

“The Service would ask the public, for their own safety, to be conscious of the risks of smoking at home and follow our advice:

• Never smoke in bed! Remember: if you need to lie down, don’t light up.
• Take extra care when you're tired, if you have been drinking alcohol or if you're taking any sort of drugs - it's very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is burning.
• Never leave lit cigarettes unattended - even in an ashtray. They can easily overbalance as they burn down.
• If you are using an ashtray, don't let ash and cigarette ends don't build up - these can also cause fires.
• Fit and maintain a smoke alarm - a working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999.”