Dear Simon .............Just a little note to say

Just a little note to say

Your staff won't be at work today

So try your very bestest to

Watch facebook, twitter, our blog too

And 

of course don't  leave any cameras running on pumps, RTC wedges in doors and make sure there are no mobile phone cameras about when your scabs mess things up.




Lots of love   FCCL 

Dear CFO Pilling, Just a few hints for today because

We understand that Friday the 20th June you are invited to attend a meeting with Brandon Lewis MP the Minister responsible for decimating fire and rescue provision in the UK.

Sadly (for we sure as hell would like to look him in the face and give him our opinion) you have declined to attend the meeting in person and are joining by conference call.

We at FCCL sadly too have to spend hours on conference calls, so we thought we would give you a few handy hints  to see you through:-


1. WEAR A HEADSET even though it without a doubt  ruins your "hairdo",  or use a proper conference table top device if  you don't want to ruffle your hair.

2. ON NO ACCOUNT EAT CRISPS - unless of course you are able to mute the device for extended periods of time, which means you can't say much

3. TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER AND MOBILE - composing or  responding to emails is not on
 ( we are straying into multitasking territory here and you are the wrong sex for that to be done successfully)

And most important of all

4. SPEAK UP ....  we know you got your fancy Queens Medal for being a good boy,  being  obedient and implementing the  hatchet plans  for the Government,   in return for a huge salary of course.

 BUT like it or not Simon  regardless of all the spin you put on your figures, take of your rose tinted £160k specs and remember

DEATHS 

BY ACCIDENTAL FIRES ARE INCREASING

1st PUMP RESPONSE TIMES ARE  DECREASING  - and you don't even dare talk about or publish 2nd and 3rd pump response times!


And expecting operational  fire fighters (they are the ones who do the dangerous dirty work btw)  to work until they are 60 is just unrealistic and down right DANGEROUS, not to mention unfair. 

So although we would have preferred you to pop on a train to London, to look the minister in the eyes. We understand why you haven't got time to attend........ honest we do!


If you are happy to condone the spending of £200 per pump for food for strike breaking operatives  during periods of industrial action,   doing your own food shopping  for the weekend must be quite a task,  we all understand the need to get to Waitrose before the Friday night rush! 

A Substantial Sum

Firstly we need to apologise to our readers for being very quiet recently. This is because the day job has had to take priority for a while as it pays the FCCL office bills, plus for once UNISON stuff has had to take precedent too.

But fear not,  we have been taking numerous notes and have a back log of blogs to post so here we go with the first of many in 2014.

This is a BIG SUM

1,000,000,000,000 +3 /5750  =  173913043.478783

BUT THIS  IS A LARGE SUM..........

WYFRS Illegal Surveillance of staff 

+ Getting Caught 

 =
A LARGE AMOUNT OF COMPENSATION  

We also suspect that  ....

SILENCE IS GOLDEN



And that the person concerned has signed a gagging clause

 preventing them discussing the amount they received.

(and to be honest we can't say we blame them)  

BUT

Yet again WYFRS have been caught breaking the law! Directors of WYFRS have been signing RIPA  orders (Regulatory Power Investigation Act ) to enable them to  SPY on their staff. 

Anthea Orchard discovered a tracking device paid for by West Yorks Tax Payers on her car   - she also had  private investigators taking pictures of herself, (and we strongly suspect her children. )

 Firefighter X as we shall call him also had ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE and his human rights breached using  tax payers money. And instead of settling quietly, he was going to take WYFRS to a very public Employment Tribunal where all their illegal activity would have been put into the public domain  ( although we are a tad disappointed as we here at FCCL had saved some annual leave to attend)

But it seems Firefighter X has settled out of court for what has been termed a " very substantial sum" 

But it leaves the basic fact that WYFRS  - namely the conveniently recently retired ACO Martyn Redfearn with serious black marks against his employment record

 - will this affect his large pension  .....Nope,

will it stop  him strike breaking - Nope. ...

It seems Martyn has no morals ! Mind you we  already know Morals don't pay the mortgage

But,   it does also  mean that CFO Simon Pilling is desperate to prevent another Tracker Gate  or indeed  Handbag Gate  (mind you we aren't sure if Fire Fighter  X had a handbag for ACO Rhodes and his colleagues to rifle through if he left the room! )

It also means to us  that EVERY COUNCILLOR  on the Fire Authority is complicit in covering up senior managements mistakes by allowing a compromise agreement rather than the open and fair  process of an employment tribunal. It also means they have something to HIDE !

You may be amazed to learn that West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue are Investors in People accredited, IIP boasts..........

 "We make people management excellence count. We're here to help you realise the potential of your people, improve standards and gain the accreditation to prove it. "

so after you have stopped laughing .....

WE BELIEVE THE TAX PAYER's OF WEST YORKSHIRE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY WYFRS HAVE HAD TO PAY OUT TO COVER UP FOR INCOMPETENT VERY SENIOR STAFF!!!!

Mind you those senior staff have recently put in for a pay rise - how much do you think they should get?  We know what we at FCCL would consider !!!!!

NJC for brigade managers of local authority Fire and Rescue Services

This NJC covers uniformed senior managers – chief fire officers, deputy chief fire officers and assistant chief fire officers. They are represented by the Association of Principal Fire Officers. A formal pay claim for 2013 was received towards the end of last year and a response is currently being considered.

The SS - Socialmedia Surveillance at WYFRS

We have been aware for well over a year now that West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue watch our  FCCL and personal FaceBook Pages.   My personal favourite was Group Manager Richard Veti saying to the then Brigade Membership Secretary David Williams "We know what sort of books she reads"  At the time Dave thought we had been rumbled in regard of our attempt to get Gipton Fire Station listed as I was reading books about the history of the fire service and volumes of old watch minutes. But what he actually meant was he had read a blog I had written about my local book club reading "50 Shades of Grey"  Then Andy Killingbeck an ill health  retired firefighter  was dragged in for a pension review and WYFRS cited articles on facebook  as a reason they considered him now fit for work.......... and refused to give the names of officers that had "brought it to managements attention" but as that is still under investigation we cant say much about it. It also came into the public domain that WYFRS had actually ordered surveillance on employees by private investigation companies and that Anthea Orchards car had a tracking device attached to it. And this is the stuff we know about !!!!!! What has gone on that has been undiscovered?

When FCCL was just getting into full swing in November 2012 and get loads of hits WYFRS  reissued their Social Media Policy to all staff. So we have always known we have been watched ......................................

BUT RECENTLY WE HAVE BECOME CONCERNED THAT IT HAS GOT OUT OF HAND

 

 

We have had it confirmed that several  serving employees a(and high profile FBU members) are been investigated and potentially disciplined because they have been spotted "liking" pictures and / or articles on Facebook. A header used on West Yorkshire Fire Brigades Unions Facebook page is one of the offending pictures that has been "liked".

 

 

 

 

There is also the issue of picket lines - like many other Fire and Rescue Services WYFRS have banned the wearing of tunics whilst on picket lines and also banned the lighting of braziers. Now correct me if I am wrong - if ANYBODY knows how to supervise a lit  brazier a set of competent and qualified firefighters are probably as good as it gets.

 

 

So we would like you to share this handy information leaflet below- to show your disgust at the underhand and most likely illegal practise of monitoring FBU members social media postings. Freedom of Expression is enshrined in European Law.

 

 

Want to be disciplined ?  Wear your tunic and light a (controlled) fire.
Then blog, facebook and tweet and wait for the phone call from Simon P and Co.

 

 

Happy Birthday to Us !

It is an important day for us here at FCCL.

It is a year to the day since we started blogging!

And before we doing anything else we have to say a BIG THANK YOU to the very kind person who sent flowers to Sarah's office this morning. We wrongly assumed  they were from the FBU and tried to say thank you, but apart from a Happy 1st Birthday tag there was no name.  Tomorrow evening we will place them on the Fire Fighters Memorial in Burley, Leeds  in recognition of all the fire fighters who have died carrying out their duties and serving the public without thought for their personal safety but for now they have pride of place in the house.



I think most people know why we started this blog. In December 2011 after fighting hard to try and save both Gipton and Stanks Fire Stations from closure in East Leeds  we read with incredulity the fact that WYFRS were publicly crowing that the IRMP Consultation Proposals pages of their website had had 1,750 hits. We as  the community and indeed the FBU concurred with us, that for 12 weeks of consultation it was pathetic, especially as many WYFRS staff would have taken a peek to see exactly what the website said from their computers at home. FCCL itself had been on the site from at least 5 different IP addresses.

1750 works out at approx  21 hits a day

for an area that has over a million residents!

Pathetic!

So in September 2012 when the next round of cuts consultation was announced, we decided to set up a little experiment to TRY and get 1751 hits to prove to the public how much positive spin WYFRS put on their literature. A little blog with at that time no publicity apart from a few postings in the comments section of the local newspapers.  (we didn't set up our facebook page till later in September).

In the three months of consultation in 2012  the FCCL blog got 41,0001 views. 

We would like to share with you some of our vital statistics to date;

102,480 hits as of 7pm this evening.

Wednesday  7th November 2012 was our best ever day with over 5,500 hits which was triggered by retired Firefighter Joe O'Keefe - Morals don't pay the mortgage post. 

Our Top Three locations are

1. Leeds
2. London (which is indicative of  smart phone usage)
3. Cleckheaton 


Our Top Three Service Providers are

1. IP Pools
2. Business static locations
3.Sky

and way down at  No 53  - West Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority which has visited us 34  times. The last being earlier today (sorry we didn't update the blog in time for you to see).

BUT THE THING WE ARE PROUDEST

 OF IS OUR

BOUNCE RATE  =   14.98%

Most websites expect to get a bounce rate of at least 40% . We have all done it - that "whoops that's not the site we expected"  when you  jump straight off a website because it is the wrong one. A bounce rate of 14.98%   makes us the envy of our friends in the IT world. (and we work in IT remember)  In fact in November 2012 it was less than 6% and even in the wilderness months of January / February  never went past 20%.

 FCCL is without a doubt attracting
its' target audience!


Mind you we knew from day two (and only 56 hits) we were onto a winner. But more about that tomorrow when we will tell you about a very unusual phone call from Hannah Stoneman of WYFRS and follow up emails from CFO Pilling.


BUT AS ALWAYS WE WILL LEAVE THE BEST TILL LAST.....   


We owe so many people THANK YOU's


David Williams of the West Yorks FBU

and all of the WYFBU  team who have taken a great deal of stick for what we have done.


Andy Killingbeck - retired Gipton Fire fighter  who even though he wasn't and isn't responsible for FCCL has undergone a malicious pension review because of FCCL.

All at South Yorks FBU - and their comrades in Doncaster who made us very welcome.


Joe O'Keefe (retired fire fighter Keighley) who has fought hard to bring the truth into the public domain.


Anthea Orchard - ex WYFRS employee 


And perhaps the biggest THANK YOU OF ALL  needs to go to all the people who help us that we cannot ever name.

Without your help this  site would not be as successful
 as it has been.

We look forward to our next 365 days of blogging. 

Mr Barnes has replied.........

Ms Covell,

 

I refer to the email you sent to the Chairman and Chief Fire Officer which has been referred for my attention in accordance with our procedure for dealing with complaints against senior officers. They will not be responding directly to you.

 

I shall be giving this matter appropriate consideration and I would anticipate communicating with you further within the next 5 to 10 working days.

 

It would be most helpful if you could provide me with a territorial address for future communication purposes.

 

 

MG Barnes BA Solicitor

Director of Corporate Resources (Clerk & Monitoring Officer)

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Oakroyd Hall

Birkenshaw

England

BD11 2DY

 

T:01274655710

F:01274652231

 

 

 

 

Handbag Gate

We here at FCCL advocate being in a trades union, for many reasons.

 

Firstly, if you ever need support at work it's there and of course the more you become involved in a unions activities  the more benefits you gain.  Education and qualifications are available for members in  everything from basic skills to specialist diplomas in many subjects including employment law and equality.  But the main benefit without a doubt is

if you are up a creek without one,  a union can provide a damn fine paddle!

 

 

But sometimes as well as a belt - you need braces!

 

 or in the instance we are going to divulge below 
 a mobile phone with a recording function.
 

 

 

On the 22nd May 2013, Anthea Orchard signed a compromise agreement with West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, which in part was an acknowledgement   that they (on behalf of the tax payers of West Yorkshire !!!!) had vicariously breached her human rights by  hiring a private investigation company to provide "directed surveillance" for a period of up to three months, (which included tracking her family car).  This Regulation of Investigative Powers form was signed by Assistant Chief Fire Officer
Martyn Redfearn within HOURS  of Anthea saying she was not fit for duty  on 31st October 2012. Without a shadow of a doubt she was ill and was absent for several weeks - even WYFRS cannot ignore a Fit Note from a GP! 

So, an employee who was already acknowledged as suffering from depression, hypothyroidism and work place stress was placed under (very incompetent) surveillance by ACO Redfearn.
(who is probably sighing a huge sigh of relief that he retired in early 2013 or perhaps he is getting ready to be a SCAB and add strike breaking to his list of misdemeanours)

Anyway fast forward to an office at WYFRS headquarters at Birkenshaw earlier this year...... present in the room are a  newly appointed Assistant Chief Fire Officer (and HR director) , an area manager and an HR representative, an FBU representative and Anthea  (the employee whose car was tracked ) All there to negotiate  her compromise agreement. And we have to say we don't blame her for recording the meeting, on balance we would have done it  too. It's also fair to say that nobody could have envisaged what would have been picked up by the mobile when the meeting was played back.

 

If you listen to the recording  you can clearly hear Anthea and her union representative leaving the room. And after a discussion about the negotiations we believe  the HR person  saying " is that her handbag" some rustling in the bag and her mobile phone being handled and then dropped back into the bag. We therefore think  the person who actually went in the bag was the area manager!

They all knew that they had done wrong by the stress reaction of silence and the nervous clicking of biro's afterwards .......which in first listening to we thought a bit funny. But by far  the worst part is the  saying "That's a bit naughty we should have asked her"  which can of course be interpreted in so many ways.

"That's a bit naughty"  (a mild reprimand  for going in her bag) 

 

"We should have asked her" (for permission to rifle through her bag)

OR

"That's a bit naughty" (recording the conversation)

 

"We should have asked her" (if she was recording the conversation)

Either way the ACO allowed his staff  to go in somebodys handbag

when the owner was out of the room!!!!

We expect all three to be suspended, investigated  and disciplined for gross misconduct!

We have sent a copy of the recording and other names we believe to be involved to CFO Pilling and Cllr Mahboob Khan, Chair of the Authority, which will give them  an opportunity to invoke their new independent senior officer  complaints process.  We do  not believe CFO Pilling is an appropriate person to comment on his ACOs integrity, its going to take an independent person to do that. ( if independent they hopefully  are ???)
 

If our allegations are upheld we cannot help but wonder what the sanctions will be?

We were told recently  an FBU member was demoted for tweeting - the sanction should surely be demotion or indeed dismissal  for the ACO for allowing the tampering with of very private property by his subordinate staff. 

 

 

 

 

Its not a very good start for the  new Director of HR is it?

Having read a significant number of the papers involved with this case we will say just one thing, there is one little ray of hope in that dank immoral pit that is West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Senior Management  and it comes from Mick Smith dated 16th November 2012

 "Always there are two sides to a story" he writes. 

Yes Mick, and having given our side of events  we are keen  to hear the story  that WYFRS come up with for  going into a woman's handbag (seemingly condoned by both an assistant chief officer AND a Human Resources representative who very kindly identified the handbag on the recording for us "is that her bag"  she clearly states) at a meeting to discuss the financial settlement she was to receive for being illegally watched.

Ironic or what!

What made them rifle her handbag in the first place - does it happen often that senior officers go  through their staffs personal possessions? 

Perhaps all meetings going forward at WYFRS should be conducted with hands placed clearly on a table, which may cause problems if the need to scratch ones balls is  required, (but saying that we are  not sure anybody in WYFRS senior management have any anyway).

Heads should roll for this but we  suspect all concerned will be getting a pat on the back  despite red faces all round. 
 
We hear more and more of employees of WYFRS being supported and encouraged to report their colleagues who use social media to  challenge the working practices of WYFRS.  FCCL itself has been cited in  the  pension review of one of its supporters - although  the person concerned has requested via Freedom of Information the actual passages in facebook and on this blog which render the pensioner fit to work (after being retired on ill health grounds ) they  have never received a satisfactory answer. But we eagerly await the next instalment in that particular long running story........ and look forward to the day when we can blog the lot.

 



To Tweet or not to Tweet ?

Today FCCL went for a coffee and a welsh rarebit ( #aspirationalcheeseontoast ) with a lady we much admire, Anthea Orchard. We have been in touch for a while now with her  and have watched this weeks events unfold with interest (and a very unusual silence that some of you may have observed). 

Many comments in FCCL circles have said "if you knew, why didn't you blog it?" and  I have to admit I was seriously tempted BUT we  figured for such a serious allegation (which we hadn't had corroborated by anybody else) a face to face meeting was essential before any tapping of keyboards took place. Anyway today FCCL and Anthea met for the first, and we sincerely hope not the last time! And as it turns out we have a lot in common. (Under active thyroids and pet rabbits for a start). 

Having read a few of the WYFRS papers and emails  in depth ,  that Anthea has showed us, it seems some employees in WYFRS have nothing better to do with our tax payers money than to trawl face book for allegedly errant employees who heaven forbid have facebook pages. Are they working without permission or perhaps bringing WYFRS into dispute? It seems that as well as social media in WYFRS eyes it's Anti Social Media.

Although it seems to FCCL that WYFRS senior  managers seem to be doing a damn fine job of being anti social themselves recently.  Simon "no comment" Pilling could probably do with coming out of his ivory training  tower instead of peeking over the battlements and chucking the occasional AC/DC O to the crowd. Although many claim that Simon has completely lost the plot in all of this and actually WYFRS is currently a rudderless ship!



We  can't help but wonder as Anthea was exonerated of the allegations AND  received a payment for damages, if WYFRS employees (all views expressed are their own of course) will be reprimanded for posting negative comments in the social media world about an ex colleague.  We give an example on the left from a WYFRS current employee.

Don't know about anybody else but I find the #attentionseeking  hashtag in particular offensive!

How do we know he is a WYFRS employee? As an avid twitterer he actually tweets he is at Birkenshaw HQ !







Gary, bless him also seems to  revel in the fact that Anthea openly admitted on national TV  to being full of oestrogen when the events took place resulting in the  application for authority for directed surveillance that  was instigated by recently retired ACO Martyn Redfearn.

Well Gary, if you despise  women  whose hormones are all over the place because  they have recently given birth; you should have thought twice before really annoying a MENOPAUSAL ONE who runs a blog!

 

Anyway (windows 8 permitting ) we will be back  tomorrow with a post  "Rhodes to Nowhere". Well actually we think that ACO Rhodes may shortly be up a rather  dirty waterway without an appropriate method of propulsion to move him forward.  #redfacesallround  - maybe!  

Dear Ed and Councillors .............

Dear  Mr Balls ,

We understand that  you are meeting with the Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling to discuss the proposals  that Morley Fire Station is "day crewed"  from January 2014.

So FCCL as concerned individuals would just like to share the following information with you all of which we believe will demonstrate that WYFRS senior management are not using sound management techniques but lurching from pillar to post in the management of WYFRS.


LETS START WITH A WORD MENTIONED 23 times in the 2012/13 IRMP

re·sil·ience

  [ri-zil-yuhns, -zil-ee-uhns]

noun

1.

the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, overstretched; elasticity.

2.

ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy.

On Thursday 18th of July WYFRS 

 were so overstretched  their 

resilience plans were invoked. 

WYFRS required FIVE RESILIENCE PUMPS 

TO BE OPERATIONAL 

Recall to duty is purely voluntary. They send everyone available a text message saying that if they want the overtime  they are then to get to a certain destination within an hour ready to go. (remember too every appliance MUST HAVE a qualified driver and crew manager) 

All 5 resilience pumps were mobilised, although none where mobilised within the allocated 1 hour

First resilience pump mobilised within 1 and half hours       the fifth one took 3 hours!!

Some pumps also were running 

with just 4 crew !

So Mr Balls we at FCCL think that closing fire stations and removing crews  is wrong, if it takes THREE  HOURS to staff resilience engines that WYFRS rely heavily on in their documentation. Its all talk ....... 

AND HERE ARE A FEW MORE INACCURACIES THEY HAVE WRITTEN .........

.........Further proposals will be presented to WYFRA in future years, however it is not anticipated that these will involve any further new builds prior to 2016.   

(SO WHY DID HE DECIDE TO CLOSE 3 MORE STATIONS    (including Morley) and build 2 new ones  a year later? 


And about Moortown in the 2012 /13 IRMP 

...........WYFRS’ commitment to providing an excellent and efficient service has informed the proposal to introduce an innovative way of providing an emergency response service within the area of Moortown and Leeds District. Instead of continuing to provide two front line fire appliances WYFRS will replace one of them with a Fire Response Unit which will be capable of providing a faster response to smaller incidents across Leeds District. This will maximise the availability of front line fire appliances for life and property incidents.

YET IN JUST ONE YEAR  MOORTOWN GOES FROM BEING A KEY "HUB"  TO CLOSED. 

(we have firm opinions of FRU's read them  here) 

ROTHWELL Fire Station  ---- April 2012 

 “It is unnecessary to stress the operational advantages and the need for speed in responding to emergency calls as in many situations even seconds count when lives and property are in danger. The current proposals for Rothwell are operationally more desirable as it contains all the activities associated with the fire station within the site, and ensures that staff are located as close as possible to the station to ensure fast response times.”


Yet in September  2012 it seems Rothwell was to close ( we blogged about the proposed close call plans in October 2012) And then they suddenly decided it could be day crewed!


And what about Day Crewing? 

Day Crewing

Day Crewing is a duty system contained within firefighters' national 

terms and conditions, however, any move on to this system is 

voluntary, as it requires staff to live within  5 minutes of the station.  

Firefighters are suitably recompensed with an on-call allowance, 

turnout fees and rent/fuel allowance.  In theory, there are sufficient staff  living within the 5 minute zone at all stations proposed to change to the Day Crewing system but further work is required to establish interest in working this duty system.

We are told time and time again that crews are not willing to day crew and we understand that volunteers are not queueing to sign on the dotted line. So what WYFRS say in theory cannot be transferred to practice. We wrote about it here 

So Ed we wish you luck in your dealing with CFO Pilling -  and whatever you do take detailed notes as you will  no doubt need them to remind Simon of what he has said. Because if we the community don't win this fight we think at some point our words written way back in September 2012 will come back to haunt him. 

Kindest Regards
FireCutsCostLives 

Simple Simon* met a fireman looking at a fire

Said simple Simon* to the fire man, “those flames are getting higher”

Said the fire man to simple Simon*  “we haven’t got a hope

Those IRMP plans you passed are really not a joke”

 Said simple Simon*to the fireman –“ I don’t know what you mean

These cuts in staff and engines, it will make us slick and lean!”

Said the fire man to simple Simon* – “oh no you’ve got it wrong

With increased tavel time and less staff too –  soon it will go all wrong”

This fire will spread,   we have no staff to help us  put it out

These cuts you love will kill a child,  the politicians shout

“It wasn’t us it, was that man – he told us what to do

And Simon* got it wrong it seems  – and now what shall we do?”

If Simon* wasn’t simple but a decent man with faith

We  wouldn’t have to write this poem  (And our homes would  all be safe!)

If you back a dog into a corner it is going to FIGHT !

Or alternatively  ............

Oh to be a fly on the wall Monday in Morley. 

We have used this particular saying before here  

OMG !!! You will never guess what I have just heard

"Will he charm them with his fancy uniform, shiny buttons and pips on his shoulder. Or will they stand up for the rights of every citizen to have a decent  fire and rescue service."

FCCL said that way back in October 2012 when CFO Simon Pilling was called to a meeting of Morley Town Council that was held behind closed doors. And seems he did charm them and spin them a tale via a set of matching smoke and mirrors. And we also told of Ed Balls MPs concerns  later the same October 
And although CFO SImon PIlling didnt get things entirely his own way (Morley Fire Station wasnt closed and merged with Hunslet,  but is to be day crewed instead) 
ANYWAY
 -  a couple of blogs later  ( March and May ) bring us round to this Monday  22nd July , Ed Balls MP is yet again  to meet with Simon Pilling (and we assume a few of his closest  henchmen) to discuss Morley Fire Stations future. Also in attendance will be Cllr Dawson, Cllr Varley, Cllr Finigan (who was at the original IRMP meeting), Cllr Mehboob Khan (was the head of the fire committee at the time) and FCCL believe several other local councillors too from the Morley , Ardsley and Robin Hood areas.

As these councillors are now we understand armed with the truth of what the IRMP means to them and their constituents they are pressing for some serious answers and the continued 24hr fire cover that they deserve.


Simply put, FCCL believes  the CFO and his officers lied to the fire committee over the wording of Morley staying open in the IRMP meeting which agreed the changes of, among other things, the downgrading of Morley, Rothwell & Garforth. When the local  firefighters and FBU  explained the actual implications of the outcome to Ed Balls and all the local Morley councillors they were not best pleased as they assumed that they had saved Morley from closure and were retaining 24hr cover but it soon became clear that they had had the wool pulled over their eyes by Simon and Co. 

Despite many attempts by Ed Balls & other councillors to get a meeting with the CFO to clarify the situation the CFO has consistently dodged the issue and even didn't bother to turn up to an agreed meeting with Ed Balls. Ed Balls is a very busy man and he was not impressed with the CFO's actions at all. (remember Simon P will be very close to retirement age when these cuts are implemented). 


As well as the fact that FCCL believe  the CFO lied to them the politicians  have also given them the facts about how many people actually put them selves forward for day manning at the affected stations.

Rothwell   8,

Garforth   3 or 4 

Morley 6 
(or maybe  less, we have heard since our last post there may be only ONE person willing to day crew)

Don't forget that the new system was open to everyone in West Yorkshire and if even only ONE person wants to do it and yet the closure of Morley will still go ahead on the 13th of January 2014.

It beggars belief that they will force a station closure with only one applicant as a replacement.

We understand the remainder of the staffing will come from the Ops Pool and detached duties from other stations - this could be the situation for years until they eventually find or recruit enough people to change to the day manning system ! All the personnel at Morley will be forced to  move to other stations which will over staff' those stations, this means that we will have the absurd situation of ex-Morley personnel being detached back into Morley (at extra cost) to keep the station running.  We understand 

One Watch Commander may have already been told that there are no foreseeable posts at other stations for him to be transferred to so they are 'making' a post for him at FSHQ ! - Lucky chap. 

Madness ! or Jobs for the boys? 

Why not leave the personnel where they are at Morley
until such a time that they can fill the posts properly? 
OR

IF IT AINT BROKE _ DON'T TRY AND FIX IT (mind you we already know he isn't too good with tape measures) 
And leave Morley, Rothwell and Hunslet just as they are. 

 It is absolute madness and FCCL are  beginning to think that maybe the CFO is suffering a serious impairment of judgement (AKA:   too arrogant and stubborn to admit he has messed it up  and anyway he can always blame the Councillors on the Fire Authority)

NOW TALKING OF MESSING UP
............................at the recent Inner East Area Committee at which  Station Commander Nigel Kirk of Gipton Fire Station told of a 40% increase in deliberate house fires in his station ground.


Cllr Ronald Grahame (labour)  who has had a seat on the Fire Authority  publicly said that voting through the closure of Gipton was something he regretted deeply 
AND THEN HE SAID 

Cllr Ronald Grahame

HE HAD BEEN BULLIED AND THREATENED BY
CLLR MEHBOOB KHAN

  INTO   VOTING THROUGH THE CLOSURES . 

Now lets make it clear THIS IS SERIOUS  and there is no way FCCL would ever put it in the public domain without being 110% sure 

But he said it at the committee, he repeated it to a close and trusted friend of FCCL and  he has also spoken to the FBU about what happened. 
So Cllr Mehboob Khan  bullied Ron ?
 Who else has he "influenced" 

What else has gone on
(we must presume with Simon Pillings consent as he was desperate to get things pushed through)


We will be writing publicly to Cllr Grahame  requesting he make a formal complaint to the Fire Authority  or RESIGN Next week is FCCLs Ladies of Letters*  week. 
We will  comment and blog on recent correspondence at WYFRS.

* Although there are many that would contest the term Lady and much prefer "that Woman"