Enjoy the Trip

Tomorrow the firefighters who are currently based at Gipton and    Stanks are going on a "works outing" to Normanton Fire Station to have  a look around and see what the proposed new station to be built at Killingbeck   may be like. 

Normanton Fire Station 

Station Commander at Gipton - Nigel Kirk told the Inner East Area Committee  way back in  September 2012 that the plans had already been submitted to Leeds City Council for the new station. 

On checking we discovered this was untrue. In fact to the best of our knowledge  these plans are not yet in the public domain. All we know is that it is to be a three appliance bay station (with two appliances). 

Normanton Plans   It is interesting to note the ground floor community room has a separate  entrance lobby, kitchen and toilet  (with full disabled access we assume). Is this so that the local community can use the facilities? And indeed the planning application actually refers to the building as a "community fire station"  However the papers of the Finance  Resources Committee of WYFRA held in  13th July 2012 it was specifically stated that non of the fire stations to be closed and sold as part of last years integrated risk management plan were NOT current classed as community assets as they were not used for social welfare or social interest purposes.  The papers are available to download HERE We think this may be untrue!   Isnt the  Gipton Young Fire fighters Scheme  a Social Welfare Project!  Extract from Normanton Fire Station Planning Application  FCCL would like to thank the station cat from Gipton informing us of the trip tomorrow, and as she is a little shy of posting herself we would like to point out she has not been invited along nor is there any signs on the plans for Normanton of a cat flap !  We are hoping however that our increasing network of station cats may be able to give us a hint of how the trip went. Lets just hope the showers aren't communal, like the station opened  in the past few years at Bradford!  Gipton Station Cat And if you would like to see something of the lighter side of being a fire fighter we have updated our  page  HERE with something that made quite a few of us chuckle.

Confused.com

 

We were left a  message at the FCCL HQ which suggested we take a peek at the planning application which was approved in only  June 2012  to build a close call crewing block at Rothwell Fire Station........... so we did :-) 

Close Call" Crewing System is a WYFRS term to describe a shift system whereby fire-fighters are either on duty on station during the day or residing in purpose provided accommodation nearby from which they can be quickly mobilised. They are therefore "on call" at the accommodation but whilst there can carry out normal quasi residential activities, i.e. preparing food, eating, sleeping and washing etc. The shift pattern would normally commence at station one morning at 08:00hrs until approximately 19:00hrs. Following this time, the fire fighter would retire to the accommodation where they would be on standby for call out from 19:00hrs until 08:00hrs. This would normally continue for a four day stretch until the end of the four day tour of duty when the next shift would take over. There would be two main alternative shifts with each tour of duty lasting four whole days.  

Close call crewing sounds to us like it will ruin your marriage, wreck your family life and probably requires you  to sign away your rights as per the European working time directive.(and would be unsuitable for fire fighters with caring responsibilities- like being a mum springs to mind!!!!!!!)

Anyway ................ why would WYFRS go to all this trouble AND EXPENSE to build what is essentially a glorified dormitory when the new IMRP plans say bye bye Rothwell. Here the plot thickens .........

But it is the documentation they have provided that made the red mist descend today. Here is a choice excerpt from the information they provided to the planning committee in 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.”

Plans submitted to LCC in April 2012 

REALLY !!!!!! 

 so why less than 4 months later are WYFRS

 saying that an increase in response times  of 

3 MINUTES is ACCEPTABLE in the Rothwell area?

But also of interest is the SITE CONTAMINATION REPORT  which states that potential sources of contamination are

• General contaminants in the made ground derived from past building and demolition works
•  
• Hydrocarbon contamination derived from leakage or spillage of fuel and oil in the bunded storage area or during maintenance of fire fighting vehicles.
•  
• Surfactant contamination derived from the use of fire fighting foam solutions in the practice area
•  
• Polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination from burning vehicle run off in the practice area.
•  
• Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in the area of the former sub station on the northern boundary derived from the leakage of the transformer fluids.

Excerpt from planning application  

SO HOW MUCH WILL ALL THIS COST ?????????

Rothwell close call land                 £80,000

Rothwell close call block                £350,000

BUT ALL OF THIS IS HAS BEEN SCRAPPED NOT FOUR MONTHS LATER IN FAVOUR OF CLOSING ROTHWELL DOWN .....................................................................................

Which proves to FCCL that the plans currently out to consultation have been thrown together in a rush, are badly thought through and designed and are not fit for purpose.

How can WYFRS say one thing in early  2012 and then retract it in September? 

Rothwell it seems is getting a particularly

BAD DEAL.  

And of course whatever is built there when / if the station is sold will still have the contamination issue.


FCCL have sent this information to the local Rothwell Councillors for comment, and also wish to bring to everybodies attention that this planning application was approved NOT at COMMITTEE but by DELEGATED AUTHORITY  ---- which means an employee of the planning department approved it not local elected members. FCCL stress it is essentail that ALL FUTURE WYFRS PLANNING APPLICATIONS ARE DECIDED IN THE PUBLIC ARENA  (Not behind closed  doors!!!)