Shocked or Sanguine ?

Well i think it is safe to say we here at FCCL float between both of these emotions most days in regard to fire and rescue...........some days if you didnt laugh you would cry.

Lets start with 

SHOCKED......

Although we haven't been able to glean any more details there was an incident in Beck Road , Harehills, Leeds. LS8 4EJ  in the early hours ( 03:30 ) of Saturday morning - a VERY HIGH RISK WARD. A male was rescued by the crews from Gipton and Moortown who turned out BUT he was pronounced dead at the scene. Again no mention of this on the public  WYFRS incident logs. 

Beck Road 

Beck Road is a perfect example of a very high risk area -dense housing including back to backs, high poverty and high ethnic population of whom english is a second language. WYFRS voted to move the local station further away from areas such as these! 

We have reported several deaths in the East Leeds Area since this blog started - in  fact not one but  THREE of the local East Leeds councilllors sit on the fire authority. 

Cllr Brian Selby  - - who last year didn't bat an eyelid when fire deaths rose in his ward by 18% 

Brian Selby  - Labour - Killingbeck and Seacroft. 

Cllr Arif Hussain  -  who in the two times we have visited the fire authority proceedings has not spoken at all. - we wonder how he is feeling about a fire death in his ward?  

Arif Hussain - Labour - Gipton and Harehills 

Cllr Ron Grahame  - who has now since 

a) promising to support the FBU in 2011 and then coming out with the phrase "Sorry Boys i have been whipped"   - for futher details please read this  

 b)  at the December 2013 IMRP vote didnt even bother to turn up! (too scared we reckon cos we have made his life quite miserable since 2011  as he was FCCLs local councillor! ) Ron since turning his back on his communities views and commonse has had two  deaths in the ward that we are aware of!!!  

Ron Grahame - Labour -  Burmantofts & Richmond Hill   

As all three have  had deaths in their wards in the last year we wonder if they are man enough to stand up and say  - i made an error of judgement - and get behind their communities and fight cuts in provision. 

Sadly we doubt it -  but it will be interesting to see what the Labour Party says in the 2014 local elections !!!

We do  of course offer our sincere condolences to 

the deceased mans family. And thanks to the crews at Gipton and Moortown, we know you did your very best. 

Anyway - lets get to SANGUINE .........

Monday was a bank holiday - one of those days you brave the sun, rain  or  hail to go to  worship at a D I Y centre.  And before you go,  you do without a shadow of a doubt use one of these 

A Tape Measure 

So if you are putting up shelves, buying a new washer or even a humblewashing up bowl you  know before you get the product home that it will FIT..... 

The Chief, Deputy Chief and 2 ACO's  cost the tax payers of West Yorkshire in excess of half a million pound a year in salaries alone, they have a drawer full of degrees between them (paid for by the taxpayers we suspect) and you would think when stumping up (OUR MONEY)  they would be able to use a tape measure to ensure the equipment they buy would be of the right size, after all  its what we pay them for. 

WYFRS have recently purchased a shiny new water ladder  which was to be based at Cleckheaton but was delivered to WYFRS Headquarters at Birkenshaw.  But when the new kit was taken to its new home it was discovered that the new ladder was 

Cleckheaton already has a dual level appliance bay as they once bought a piece of kit so big they had to dig a pit in the floor to allow it to fit! Talk about PLANNING  (not) 

We think Simon and Co should read this before making any other major or minor purchases and perhaps remember its the tax payers of West Yorkshire who pay for their errors. 

AND ITS THE PUBLIC WHO PAY WITH THEIR LIVES WHEN THE FIRE CUTS MEAN RESPONSE TIMES WILL INCREASE!


WHOOPS - we almost forgot..... WYFRS are particularly bad with tape measures. As you go into the main hall at Birkenshaw HQ to attend fire authority meetings you will see stuck to the outside of the building a rather large, ugly  and cumbersome lift shaft.  When that was installed  the doors didn't open correctly as they were not the right size for the hole - we swear you could not make it up.