Anger at civilian fire crew plan

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A scheme to train civilians to fight fires in London is aimed at creating "strike breakers", it is claimed.

The £9m project to train 700 people will create "Dad's Army firefighters", the Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) said.

News of the initiative, already under way, comes ahead of results of a ballot of firefighters over industrial action.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) did not comment on strike-breaking claims, but said recruits would only be used in "extreme situations".

The FBU's comments precede the results of the ballot over work conditions to be announced on Thursday.

The contingency workforce would be a completely inadequate substitutes for incidents such as the fires in Camberwell and Soho Paul Embery, FBU

The union is in dispute with LFB but said there are no plans for members to go on strike, although other types of industrial action could take place.

A LFB spokesman said the training scheme was not in response to the "current industrial action".

However, he said plans for the civilian force have been considered since 2006, after the government announced the availability for the Army to provide emergency fire support was being reduced

"These contingency arrangements will not replicate the same range or level of service that the LFB provides to London under normal circumstances," he said.

"[But it] will provide a contingency service with a commensurate level of training sufficient to provide a basic level of service in times of reduced capability."

He confirmed LFB signed the five-year £9m contract with Asset Co Group last month, enabling the firm to train up to 700 people for those "extreme situations".

Mick Shaw, FBU president, claimed however, LFB simply wanted to create "a force of strike breakers".

'Bizzare' decision

Paul Embery, London representative of FBU, said it was targeting retired firefighters in the "crackpot initiative".

"Its seems bizarre that the brigade thinks it's good use of the taxpayers money, to spend millions of pounds putting together a group of ill-trained and ill-equipped Dad's Army firefighters," he said.

"There have been several fire incidents in London in recent weeks and those fires have stretched the brigade to the limit of their resources, training and experience.

"So the planned contingency workforce would be a completely inadequate substitutes for incidents such as the fires in Camberwell and Soho."

Six people were killed in a fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell on 3 July. A week later a fire in a building in Dean Street, Soho, took seven hours to put out.

Contingency staff in London would have access to about 27 fire engines a day compared to the normal 200 engines, the FBU said.