Privatisation Places Two Major Fire Fighting Brigades In Crisis

AssetCo, the owners of London and Lincolnshire’s fire engines, will go under on Monday 11th July owing a staggering £140million to creditors, unless a take over deal is agreed in the next 48 hours, a registrar’s hearing was told last Thursday evening.

The Fire Brigades Union warned that fire engines could be seized by creditors and sold off to recover the debts if the company goes under.

Due to the privatisation of all of the two fire brigades assets, AssetCo owns all London fire engines and 50,000 pieces of safety and rescue kit and leases them back to the fire brigade. It does the same in Lincolnshire.

Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary condemned the privatisation of the assets of the two brigades:

“AssetCo is on the verge of collapse.
 The London and Lincolnshire fire brigades do not own their fire engines and kit and are in crisis because they privatised all of their operational assets. Both brigades, the Mayor of London and Government have shown extraordinary complacency.

The entire operational assets of both brigades could be seized by creditors and sold off in full or in part. Neither brigade appears to have any fallback plan of any credibility.

The foolish decision to privatise all fire engines and kit leaves them sitting on the sidelines with no power over what happens to their critical operational assets.

What was put before the court is a public scandal and makes clear in whose interest private companies work. Yet the only people making an issue out of it are the fire fighters on the ground who do care about what happens and the impact it could have on public safety.

There must be an end to privatisation in any critical emergency service. You cannot run a fire service alongside the private sector in this way, it’s crazy.”

Commenting on the situation, Derek Maylor, Chair of the NW BTU Health and Safety Co-ord said;

“It is clear from this scandal that the Governments plans for the privatisation of the NHS and all health, welfare and safety services in England will result in extreme damage to those services and the ability of the staff involved to provide a professional and adequate service.”

He concluded:

“Not only is the welfare and safety of people at work at serious risk of being further compromised, but now public safety is also to be added to the list of Tory policy decisions which will make England a far less safe country in which to live.”

Source: FBU

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