| Firefighters are now taking the help of social networking sites to protest against the proposed fire cuts |
A “Stop the Suffolk Fire Service Cuts” Facebook page has been set up by Fire Brigades Union officials.
Suffolk firefighters are harnessing the power of social networking to fight proposed cuts to the county’s fire and rescue service. The cuts threaten to compromise public safety.
The “Stop the Suffolk Fire Service Cuts” Facebook page, set up by the Fire Brigades Union officials, aims to keep Suffolk citizens informed and help galvanise opposition to wide-ranging cuts.
Under the cuts proposed:
Suffolk County Council would no longer provide a full-time fire crew in Felixstowe – home of the largest container port in Europe. Haverhill - one of the fastest-growing towns in the UK – with over 4,000 new homes due to be built – would lose full-time fire crews at weekends.The county’s Turntable ladders, used for high rise rescues and safe access to roof fires - including thatched cottages - would no longer be available at all times. The Turntable ladder in Ipswich will no longer have a guaranteed crew.
Andy Vingoe, Suffolk FBU Brigade Chair said: “These cuts will affect everybody in the county. There will be a public consultation in the New Year and people need to know the facts. That’s why we’ve set up the Facebook page. It’s a 21st century weapon in our armoury in fighting the cuts. We hope the site will encourage more people to get involved, speak out, lobby councillors and defend a vital frontline service”.
The site, which has just gone live, pulls together publicly available information, links to web sites and provides a forum for the public to join with firefighters in defending the fire service from dangerous and unwarranted cuts.