Firefighters: cuts will delay response times
Photo: Rhodri Coleman
50 firefighters tackled a blaze at a Tombland restaurant this lunchtime. At it’s height, the fire at Zizzi’s – which used to be Pizza One, Pancakes Two – needed 10 fire crews to put it out. The smoke could be seen across the city.
A spokesperson for the fire service, Martin Barsby said: “The manager of the restaurant deserves praise. He did exactly the right thing, getting his staff out as quickly as he could.”
The fire comes a day after cuts to the service were approved by councillors, which the Fire Brigade’s Union (FBU) claim will delay response times in the future.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. Martin Barsby also praised the firefighters: “They worked very, very quickly to get the fire under control and have done a really good job.” The emergency services were called just after midday and were damping down at the scene by 2pm.
Yesterday, members of the FBU lobbied County Hall, protesting againstcuts to the service of £1.5M, which will see 24 posts go at Bethel Street. A spokesperson for the FBU, Stefan Rider said: “It would be fair to say that a delay in firefighting would occur if the same incident is repeated this time next year.” He added that changes to the duty system will affect the operation of the aerial ladder platform: “Not having a dedicated crew for the ALP would have delayed the successful fighting of the fire in the roof.”
One Comment to “Firefighters: cuts will delay response times”
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I asked for my steak to be well done, not incinerated!