§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) in the eventuality of a firemen's strike how many (a) green goddesses and (b) armed forces personnel will be stationed in (i) Essex and (ii) Mid Essex to provide fire cover and other services and where they will be stationed; [77138]
(2) in the eventuality of a firemen's strike in Essex what specialist training will armed forces personnel receive to deal with fires and other emergencies; what duties will armed forces personnel be allowed to carry out; what duties that firemen currently carry out will not be performed by armed services personnel; and how many retained firemen are expected to carry on working and provide cover for fire fighting and other emergencies; [77139]
(3) if he will make a statement on the contingency plans to provide cover for accidents and fires in Essex if there is a firemen's strike [77140]
§ Mr. RaynsfordEmergency cover in Essex, as with the rest of the country, will consist of a number of elements including Green Goddess crews, breathing apparatus teams, rescue teams equipped with specialist equipment and the police. The provision of MOD emergency fire cover has been planned in consultation with the Chief Fire Officer to maximise call-out response times and the availability of a range of firefighting capabilities.
Personnel have been trained and equipped to provide basic emergency fire and rescue cover. The level of training is dependent on the skills already held by personnel and the role that they would perform in the event of a strike. Drivers and basic crew only require a short training package because of the simple nature of 873W the equipment and because of the basic level of cover given. Fire Rescue Teams fulfil a more difficult role, which utilises technical equipment in dangerous situation. Some Fire Rescue Teams are already trained and experienced in the use of breathing apparatus and other specialist equipment but additional personnel have also been trained in these techniques. Other support training as well as driver training includes first aid training and specialist equipment maintenance training. Basic training lasts up to five weeks, depending on skill levels and role, plus any other necessary follow on training.
The command and operational structure for emergency fire cover has been designed to enable maximum flexibility and use of available resources, whether from within a county or from assets deployed nearby in neighbouring counties. The fire crews will use a number of temporary stations across the country but the deployment of fire fighters will be based on the assessment of how best to respond to an emergency in the quickest time possible.
Retained Firefighters provide a very valuable service to their communities. We anticipate that in the event of industrial action, many retained firefighters will continue to protect the communities in which they live and work.
The MOD's emergency cover will not replicate the fire fighting capabilities of the Fire Service, but will minimise, as far as possible, the danger to human life. Service personnel will provide basic fire and rescue cover.