Firefighters could strike over proposed closures
BBCFirefighters in Kent could go on strike over proposed job losses and station closures.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said "nothing is off the table" as it examines options to oppose the plans, which include potentially closing five stations, putting 76 part-time on-call firefighters' jobs at risk, and changing shift patterns.
Conservative county councillor Bill Barrett said the proposals would be like playing "Russian roulette" with public safety.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service chief executive Ann Millington said the potential changes were about "spending money in the right ways to tackle our biggest risks, while competing with financial pressures".
The Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority (KMFRA), which includes 21 Kent County Council (KCC) members, will launch a 12-week consultation into the potential changes on Thursday.
Proposals include the closure of the on-call fire stations in Grain, Wye, Chilham, Westerham, and Cliffe.
It also proposes removing on-call sections from four other full-time stations in Herne Bay, Deal, Tunbridge Wells, and Faversham.
FBU regional chair Tim Green said talks with Reform UK KCC members Thomas Mallon, Trevor Shonk, and James Defriend had been "very constructive".
"The fact remains that we are opposed to the proposed changes and nothing is off the table in Kent, and that includes industrial action," he added.
The union said the loss of on-call firefighters would be mitigated by seven full-time operational replacement roles, which reservists could apply for.
Kent Fire and Rescue ServiceBarrett said he was "extremely concerned" about the possible changes, "especially as we enter a period of ever-increasing extreme weather events".
Millington explained that the number of fires in Kent had dropped in recent years due to prevention work, including home visits and putting up free smoke alarms.
"But risks also keep changing, for example, we're seeing more wildfires, so we need to be changing too, to meet those needs," she added.
The chief executive said stations were "not closed lightly" and that no others had been shut in 14 years.
She explained that it would be considered if money could be freed up to potentially invest in more wholetime firefighters, or put money into targeted prevention.
