Firefighters threaten walk-out (From Western Telegraph)

Firefighters threaten walk-out

FIREfighters could resign en masse if retained staffing changes to a shift system.

The chairman of the Fire Brigade Union for mid and west Wales, Roger Curran, said the change would require greater flexibility from firefighters.

Many union members welcome the move, but Mr Curran said part-time firemen, employed full-time elsewhere, will find it difficult to accommodate this and have indicated they may resign as a result.

"This would leave certain areas with no fire service at all," he said.

These fears add to growing discontent over plans to downgrade Haverfordwest fire station and replace specialist rescue tenders with better equipped general pumps.

A Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the increase in rescue equipment for all pumps would provide a faster response than the current situation, where one specialist vehicle covers the whole of Pembrokeshire.

She said: "Engines from local stations will be able to deal with a broader range of incidents."

But Mr Curran describes heavy cutting equipment on crash tenders as 'second to none' and says it cannot be fitted to standard pump engines.

Lighter cutting gear on most tenders would not be sufficient in a serious incident and the time required for a specialised vehicle to be requested from Carmarthen could make a huge difference, he added.

Neyland town councillors echoed this concern at last week's meeting.

Councillor Brian Molyneux said removal of any front-line equipment was a 'bad move' for Pembrokeshire.

He said: "The whole question of the fire brigade in this area needs looking at properly.

"The two main stations that would respond to any emergency at the refineries, or the proposed power stations and LNG terminals, are Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock, and they are already de-manned."