• Make a contribution
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Sunday, July 27, 2025
  • Login
Reading Today Online
  • HOME
  • YOUR AREA
    • All
    • Caversham
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Katesgrove
    • Reading
    • Southcote & Coley
    • Tilehurst & Norcot
    • Whitley

    Changes made to Reading council tenancies for first time in nearly 10 years

    Restaurant closed for 7 years to be turned into bar and eatery

    PRIDE OF READING AWARDS: Derry raises awareness of Reading’s good people

    PRIDE OF READING AWARDS: Derry raises awareness of Reading’s good people

    PRIDE OF READING AWARDS: Meet the sponsors – Kingdom Rooms

    PRIDE OF READING AWARDS: Meet the sponsors – Kingdom Rooms

    FROM THE LEADER: New Studio Theatre at the Hexagon

    PCC allocates nearly £2M in Home Office funding to counter serious violence in Thames Valley

    The Barberettes Shine at International Choir Competition in Europe

    Reading Rep announces team behind next production, The Last Five Years

    Reading Biscuit Factory set to celebrate fourth birthday

  • COMMUNITY
  • READING FC
  • SPORT
    • All
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Rugby

    Reading FC star Knibbs set to make Championship move as fee is agreed

    Reading FC confirm new signing as midfielder joins on permanent deal

    Former Reading FC loanee joins rivals

    Reading FC sign German attacker on permanent deal

    Reading and Chelsea legend Kerry Dixon set for Q&A at Purple Turtle

    Ex-Reading star Ejaria on trial with former Royals manager

    League One side set to win race for former Reading FC young star

    Reading FC opinion: Where are the goals coming from this season?

    Reading FC midfielder Knibbs linked with Championship move

  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Reading Today Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

Firefighters union criticises “reckless” changes to minimum response requirements of fire service

Jake Clothier by Jake Clothier
Tuesday, September 17, 2024 8:01 am
in Featured, Reading
A A
Firefighters in Berkshire have voiced strong opposition to changes made to the minimum response standard in fire and rescue. Picture: Steve Smyth

Firefighters in Berkshire have voiced strong opposition to changes made to the minimum response standard in fire and rescue. Picture: Steve Smyth

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

FIREFIGHTERS in Berkshire have voiced strong opposition to changes made to the minimum response standard in fire and rescue.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) has made changes to its levels of expected service through amendments to its Minimum Response Standard policies.

Following a consultation last year, RBFRS has now agreed to provide a minimum of 14 frontline fire appliances (fire engines) at any time, which it says will use its immediately available and on-call staff “as effectively as possible.”

While this is one part of a number of changes, the Berkshire Fire Brigades Union (BFBU) has urged reconsideration as it says the change constitutes a real-terms reduction in fire protection.

The union says the move could increase the amount of time fires are left to develop, which in turn increases the risk to life and likelihood of death, increase property damage, increase risk to firefighters, and further reduce fire service resources.

It explains that previous implementations saw 14 engines immediately available, supplemented with multiple additional on-call engines.

Related posts

Changes made to Reading council tenancies for first time in nearly 10 years

Restaurant closed for 7 years to be turned into bar and eatery

PRIDE OF READING AWARDS: Derry raises awareness of Reading’s good people

Reading FC star Knibbs set to make Championship move as fee is agreed

On-call engines can take up to eight minutes to respond to an incident.

The new minimum would see only 13 immediately-available engines and a single on-call station.

They argue that RBFRS is prioritising “fiscal need over the core role” of the organisation, describing the move as a “step back” for residents.

They also cite figures that show RBFRS is failing to meet its targets of reaching 75% of incidents within 10 minutes, arguing that the move would only contribute to the continued shortfall of this target.

More rural areas will see the worst reduction in services, according to union members, as the possible delay in mobilisation will see a significantly delayed response in attendance.

They are now calling on union leaders to “explore all available options” to oppose the implementation, with 18 separate union branches raising motions against the change.

Union members argue that the move will also exacerbate and already under-resourced fire response, citing that more than 100 firefighters have been cut from the frontline services since 2010.

Opposition also cites that attendance times are currently slower than they were in the 1990s following a continued worsening over the last five years.

Steve Collins (FBU Brigade Secretary) said: “Our members are clear, they will not stand by and watch this service degrade the number of immediately available Fire Engines at night. They are ready to take action to prevent a degradation to the safety of their community and their colleagues.

“To keep our communities safe we need the service to shelve this reckless plan, wait on the outcomes of the Grenfell Inquiry and what steps this new Government will take in funding the Fire and Rescue Services.”

Southern Region EC Member and FBU Vice President Steve Wright said: “It is disappointing to learn that Fire Authority members, who’s role is to represent the best interests of Berkshire residents, have voted in support of this clear degradation in service that undermines the safety of local communities and its Firefighters.”

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Previous Post

Making a mauve: Reading Buses teams to walk Purple 17 route in aid of Royal Berks Charity

Next Post

Fire Service aims to save £150k with new fire engine implementation

FOLLOW US

POPULAR STORIES

  • Former Reading FC striker Andy Carroll joins new club in England after leaving France

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 47-year-old woman arrested after two pedestrians die in road traffic collision in Caversham

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Masked men armed with weapons rob store in Reading

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • League One side set to win race for former Reading FC young star

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reading FC forward given ultimatum over future at the club

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

RDG.Today – which is a Social Enterprise – provides Reading Borough with free, independent news coverage.

If you are able, please support our work

Click Here to Support RDG.Today

ABOUT US

Reading Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Reading. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Reading Borough.

CONTACT US

news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Reading Today Logo

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: editor@wokingham.today, or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Bracknell
    • Calcot
    • Caversham
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
  • COMMUNITY
  • SPORT
    • Reading FC
    • Football
    • Rugby
    • Basketball
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
  • SUPPORT US
  • SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION

© 2021 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.