Buncefield firefighters to demonstrate at Downing Street

Firefighters who tackled the massive blaze at the Buncefield oil depot will stage a protest at Downing Street today at a reception they were invited to attend.

The protest is being held to highlight proposals to cut 50 frontline jobs in Hertfordshire, as well as proposals for the closure of two fire stations and the loss of specialist rescue equipment.

Tony Smith, Vice Chair of Hertfordshire's Fire Brigades Union, said: "We have no criticism of our colleagues who feel pressured to attend this reception, but we take exception to national and local politicians basking in the success of our hard work one minute and sacking us the next.

"Buncefield was the fourth major incident in Hertfordshire in recent years. We had previously dealt with three major rail crashes at Watford Junction, Potters Bar and Hatfield and the level of other emergency incidents has not diminished.

"Firefighters at Buncefield knew stations were ear-marked for closure and that jobs were under threat, but we did our duty. We are not prepared to quietly stand in line to be told well done only to be stabbed in the back days later.

"There is nothing to celebrate in Downing Street when the shadow of significant cuts hangs over our fire service. We don't want public money spent on drinks and canapés when our communities are seeing their fire service cut to save money."

The Buncefield oil depot was rocked by a series of explosions on December 11 and the subsequent massive blaze - the largest seen in peacetime Europe - took days to bring under control.

No one was killed at the depot, the fifth largest fuel distribution depot in the country, but 43 people were injured.

Last week, Hertfordshire's chief fire officer Roy Wilsher said that the FBU's decision to advise members to boycott the Downing Street reception was disappointing. He said that the event was an opportunity for fire crews to be thanked for their "magnificent efforts" in tackling the blaze.

(KMcA/GB)