FBU update message.... To all London FBU branches En route to, or in attendance at, operational incidents at commencement of strike action: guidance for FBU members This guidance is issued for FBU members in the event they find themselves en route to, or in attendance at, an operational incident when the strike begins at 1200 hours on Wednesday. En route to an incident Crews are to inform Control that they are unable to proceed further due to industrial action. The appliance will refrain from using blues and twos and return by the most expedient route to home station at normal road speed. The appliance should be parked in the appliance bay, and crews should commence strike action. Should the call be to a ‘persons reported’ fire, the appliance should continue to the incident. In attendance at an incident Low-risk calls (e.g. AFAs and shut in lift): Crews should confirm that life is not at risk. If this is the case, a message should be returned to Control that the appliance is unable to remain at the incident due to industrial action. No stop message should be sent, though the officer-in-charge may wish to furnish Control with relevant information and advice prior to 1200 hours. The appliance should return by the most expedient route to home station at normal road speed. The appliance should be parked in the appliance bay, and crews should commence strike action. Medium-risk calls: When in attendance at small fires, crews should finish dousing flames with water. Crews should confirm that life is not at risk. If this is the case, a message should be returned to Control that the appliance is unable to remain at the incident due to industrial action. No stop message should be sent, though the officer-in-charge may wish to furnish Control with relevant information and advice prior to 1200 hours. The appliance should return by the most expedient route to home station at normal road speed. The appliance should be parked in the appliance bay, and crews should commence strike action. High-risk calls: When firefighting at fires using main jets, crews should confirm that life is not at risk. Crews should withdraw from risk-critical areas in a calculated, methodical fashion. A message should be returned to Control that the appliance is unable to remain at the incident due to industrial action. No stop message should be sent, though the officer-in-charge may wish to furnish Control with relevant information and advice prior to 1200 hours. Gear will need to be made-up and re-stowed on the appliance. The appliance should return by the most expedient route to home station at normal road speed. The appliance should be parked in the appliance bay, and crews should commence strike action. Incidents of four pumps and above: If in attendance at a ‘make-up’, crews will need to advise the officer-in-charge that they are about to commence industrial action. Officers-in-charge will need to make a risk assessment of whether to carry on fighting the fire, with regard given to the safety of firefighters and the public. If this does not present a problem, then crews should withdraw from the incident and make their own gear up. The officer-in-charge will inform Control of his or her decision. The appliances will return by the most expedient route to home station at normal road speed. The appliance should be parked in the appliance bay, and crews should commence strike action. Reliefs: If crews are on a relief, they should inform the officer-in-charge, in good time, that they will be leaving the relief in sufficient time to return to their station before strike action begins. Crews should withdraw from the incident and make their own gear up. The appliances will return by the most expedient route to home station at normal road speed. The appliance should be parked in the appliance bay, and crews should commence strike action. Road traffic collisions: Managers and crews should liaise with medical teams to assess whether casualties need to be extricated as a priority. If so, crews are to carry on working until the casualty is released. As soon as this is achieved, a message should be returned to Control that the appliance is unable to remain at the incident due to industrial action. No stop message should be sent, though the officer-in-charge may wish to furnish Control with relevant information and advice prior to 1200 hours. Gear will need to be made up and re-stowed on the appliance. The appliance will return by the most expedient route to home station at normal road speed. The appliance should be parked in the appliance bay, and crews should commence strike action. At no time during any incident will FBU members be expected to work directly alongside (i.e. in contact with) strike-breaking crews. The above guidance is issued to assist crews in making decisions on strike days. In every case, managers and crews will need to assess the risk that they encounter and act as they see appropriate. Where a situation is unclear, common sense will need to be applied. The aim of the guidance is to ensure that no member of the public or FBU is at risk of death or injury whilst we are en route to, or in attendance at, incidents when industrial action commences. Yours in unity LONDON FBU
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:48:11 +0000
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