999 number is not for sale! (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

999 number is not for sale!

December 6, 2011 12:00 AM

Islington residents will be put at risk if Conservative plans to privatise the Fire Brigade's 999 call-handling system go ahead, the borough's Liberal Democrat councillors have warned.

Conservative on the London Fire Authority - backed by Mayor Boris Johnson -propose to contract out the Fire Brigade Control Room that handles over 200,000 emergency 999 calls a year. They intend to push their controversial plan through before voters get a say in next May's Mayoral and London Assembly elections, when controversial Conservative LFEPA boss Cllr Brian Coleman risks being ousted.

The Fire Brigade'sUnionis also strongly opposed to the privatisation plan. The follows the announcement that Islington fire station is set to lose one of its fire engines to Walthamstow. This move was also opposed by Islington LibDems.

Islington Liberal Democrat councillors have now tabled a motion for debate at the next meeting of the council and hope that councillors from all parties will unite to oppose the plans on the grounds that:

life-or-death delays or breakdowns in communication could be caused by splitting who takes the call and who decides to dispatch the fire engines
divided responsibility for the management and training of call handlers who give "real time" advice to those calling from a fire scene
extra costs for the taxpayer-funded Fire Brigade in order to monitor performance of the contractor
the London Fire Brigade will be without its own staff trained and experienced in call handling, which is a key part of the emergency response service.

Islington Liberal Democrat leader, councillor Terry Stacy, who is also a member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, said:

"I was shocked to hear of this plan. It makes no sense to separate the people answering 999 calls from the rest of the Fire Brigade. There are no private companies with a decent track record in this highly specialised fire safety work.

"It will just end up costing more money as the Fire Brigade will need an army of staff to check the private call handlers are getting it right. This is all about Conservative dogma rather than what is best for local residents' safety."