Why didn't our labour councillors have the guts ????

The Thought of Conservative Boris Johnson Fuming is Something we at FCCL All Relish. 

And yesterday in London, at a meeting of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA)   Labour, Liberal and Green formed a coalition which  overturned  the proposal to close 12 fire stations, remove 18 engines and slash 520 firefighter posts in London  in a vote 9-8. 

But Boris its seems will carry on regardless and ignore the decision and continue with the proposals. 

Paul Embery FBU regional secretary said 

“We welcome the decision of the fire authority to reject these reckless and dangerous cuts. It was the right outcome. But Boris Johnson’s intervention is deplorable. It is arrogant in the extreme for the mayor to think he knows better than his own fire authority.
“The mayor’s unprecedented move raises all sorts of questions about democracy and accountability. He should listen to his fire authority; he should listen to the workforce, and he should listen to Londoners, the vast majority of whom oppose these cuts. If he pushes ahead, we will campaign vigorously to defend London’s fire service.

West Yorkshires own  David Williams who attended,  remarked when giving feedback on  lessons learnt in West Yorkshires fight against cuts 

"All i have to say is that these cuts were by a Labour fire authority - shame on them"

FCCL  who have close links with the London campaign sent a message of solidarity to them in  November as our  friends and family were fighting the closure of New Cross Fire Station , you can read what we wrote HERE

As the local campaigns are starting to coalesce and start to gain significant momentum we do not doubt that here in West Yorkshire the councillors who constitute the Fire and Rescue Authority will at some point be called to account for their actions and votes on the 21st December 2012.

We enclose some links to information about the London decision starting with the  Fire Brigades Union . The  London Fire Brigade , the BBC , and  Socialist Party


And whilst browsing sites to write this blog we found this from the London Fire Brigade -

22 January 2013

London Fire Brigade said today it was called out on Friday night after an over-heated massage pillow caused a fire in a flat in Hornsey.

It’s thought the owners left their home to go on holiday shortly before Christmas, accidentally leaving the pillow switched on.

A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade said:

“It’s unusual for a massage pillow to cause a fire, but it goes to show just how important it is to switch off electrical items if you’re leaving your home, or even just going to bed.

“The fire caused significant damage to the flat and it’s fortunate that no one was hurt.”

The smoke alarm inside the flat wasn’t working and it’s thought the fire was only discovered when a concierge in the building saw smoke coming out of the flat.

Three fire engines and around 15 firefighters attended the fire. The Brigade was called at 2142 and the fire was under control by 2206. Fire investigators were called to establish how the fire started.

Fortunate - we think is a word that will be much used in the days and years to come. 


And one day  

UNfortunately  


will feature ........

"unfortunately a crew didn't reach the property in time to rescue the people trapped inside"

REMEMBER - Keighley is due to lose a pump by the end of this  month, Haworth Parish Council  is researching how to run a service with volunteers; volunteers who will not be qualified to use the breathing apparatus necessary to enter a smoke and flame filled building. 

Just in case you are concerned we at FCCL  have ensured all massage cushions we might (or might not) own are all unplugged.

For advice on how to stay safe the West Yorkshire Fire site has some good advice, click HERE to access the site. 

We did  however cringe when we read 
"Ensure your electric heaters are properly maintained and in full working order" 


yup great advice if you have the money to do that, but many people in deprived areas don't! 

We also need to tell you of a video that has been doing the rounds of facebook and was added to the Yorkshire Evening Post website yesterday. We have emailed   Hannah Stoneman of WYFRS and she has confirmed that the video is not of West Yorkshire Fire Fighters -  BUT it has been removed by Johnston Press from their website - however it is available on you tube so check out our funnies page HERE

Never Give Up

NEVER GIVE UP 

is the FCCL motto (closely followed by  "Don't let the bastards grind you down" ) and this is  the message we would like to pass to our comrades in London who are battling the same as we are to save fire and rescue services from viscous and unnecessary cuts in provision.

Therefore we  would like to publicly send our support and solidarity to those who are fighting the closure of New Cross Fire Station in London. Seems they too are suffering from the fire authority preferring to do things behind closed doors  as this newspaper article demonstrates in the  East London Lines News


Paul Embery the FBU’s regional secretary for London  recently said .............

“The London Fire Brigade is a proud organisation with a fine history. But it is now facing possibly its greatest challenge. Its leaders must do the right thing and tell the politicians these cuts are wrong and dangerous. If they don’t do it, the FBU will.”

Does that sound familiar ---------  a little like  the West Yorkshire Brigade Secretary David Williams who was recently quoted  in The Guardian as saying............

"Firefighters are angry because these cuts will slow response times. Small fires will become big ones. In emergency situations every second counts, a few seconds delay can be the difference between saving a life or failing to save it"

So New Cross - your fight is OUR FIGHT  

because Fire Cuts Will Cost Lives. 

And to help you on your way we have sent you an email explaining how FCCL operates and how we run our very successful blog.  (which obviously we aren't going to publish but have sent to you separately)

And of course there are the mysterious coincidences of our campaigns .............. FCCL has Sam Hirst as one of its members - he is our photographer who took the picture on our front cover and also the ones we have sent to English Heritage for our application for Gipton  to be listed  AND Chloe Hirst his sister is based in London and is writing in East London Lines about the cuts in provision, and an example of her work can be seen  HERE

Then there is Eleanor Covell,  a student and resident of New Cross who is opposing the closure of New Cross who is the daughter  of our very own Sarah Covell. Seems it's a very small world indeed!

AND FINALLY 

And because its Saturday,  and probably  just because we have learnt how to do it .................here is the FCCL motto in jigsaw form.

Can you reassemble it to create our motto?
In less than 2 minutes ....................  ?

(and BossHooch using the autosolve is cheating)

Because in Less than 2 MINUTES - THIS CAN HAPPEN