Fatal fire in West Kirby prompts questions about cuts to fire service
There are claims an elderley couple who died after a fire at their West Kirby home 'could have had a better chance of survival' if their local station had not been closed because of budget cuts.
John and Anne Farrell died after the blaze broke out at their home on Boulton Avenue on Monday
Merseyside's Fire Brigades Union says that crews were reposnding to a fire in Birkenhead at the time - which limited the number of engines who could have responded.
Mark Rowe, Merseyside FBU brigade secretary, said: “This is an absolute tragedy for everyone involved. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the couple and with the firefighters who attended the scene."
“Tragically, this incident highlights how the reckless Tory-led cuts have decimated our fire service and put our communities at greater risk"
"Fire cover in the Wirral has been rendered threadbare because of the cuts. As all the available fire engines were busy dealing with one fire this meant that fire engines had to be called from much further away.
"It means if we have two serious incidents at the same time it’s pot luck who gets the speedy and lifesaving response"
“Merseyside has suffered severe budget cuts, more than any other fire service, and fire deaths are now at a 10 year high as a result. The government needs to get a handle on the atrocious budget cuts they’ve forced fire services to make. If West Kirby fire station had remained open we could be looking at a different outcome today.”
A spokesperson from Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service said:
"The first appliance in attendance at the house fire in West Kirby on Monday 21st March which tragically led to the loss of two lives was from Upton Fire station, which responded from the station in 8 minutes and 14 seconds which is within the Authority response standard"
"The second appliance to attend was from Kensington, which was mobilised as it was returning from a fire in Birkenhead"
"The impact of budget cuts to date has reduced the number of appliances available across Merseyside and the Chief Fire Officer, Dan Stephens, and the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Authority have made it very clear that this will have an impact on response times, in particular for second and subsequent appliances"
Mark Rowe the secreatry of Merseyside Fire Bridage Union has been speaking to Radio City's Adam Phillips