Phone: 078 522 32 166

Email: ajjm@sky.com

Tuesday 22 September 2009

Dear Don Navarro and Toni Kenning

My name is Anthony JJ Morgan,I am the Vice President of the Retained Firefighters' Union, Warwickshire RFU Secretary and Crew Manager at Bedworth Fire Station. I would wish to bring to your attention the following

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service proposes to close seven Retained Duty System(RDS)fire stations and remove two additional appliances on separate stations.

Retained Duty System(RDS) Fire Stations due for closure are Bedworth, Bidford, Brinklow,Fenny Compton, Kenilworth, Studley and Warwick. In addition crews at Coleshill and Atherstone who also work the RDS will be removed.

Approximately 60 employees working the RDS would be made redundant under the plans. The proposals are included within the Services aptly named " Service Improvement Plan"

The consultation process has already caused confusion, the very same documents which have informed this decision are presently unavailable,
its beggars belief that on such an important issue vital information
has been with held or is not easily available by those asked to make
comment.

I would urge you as district councillors to request to read the
following documents namely:

• Rising to the Challenge
• WFRS Business Case 2006/07
• Morphew Report

We are alarmed at these proposals , for most part , the impact on fire cover provided by our members , the RDS in general and the communities which they all proud to serve.

RDS personnel are just as capable of carrying out prevention, community education and emergency response as their whole time counterparts if provided with the appropriate investment in training and support of which at the present time there is little or no evidence.

If these proposals are , as suggested , a cost cutting exercise, we would suggest that the focus should be on lesser cost effective areas of the Service and question why,when stations are closed and Retained fire fighters made redundant , that no reductions are proposed with in support staff. Retained Fire Stations are the most cost effective provision of fire cover available in the UK, we are , in part,a pay as you go service whereby we are only paid when we respond to an incident.

The RFU is currently reviewing all documents used by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service to justify their proposal along with other relevant paperwork and formally respond.

On behalf of the membership I represent at Bedworth and around Warwickshire I seek your support in our campaign to keep Bedworth Fire Station open and maintain emergency fire cover to the communities of Bedworth and surrounding districts.

If you require further clarification my contact number is 078 522 32 166

Yours sincerely

AJJ Morgan