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| Retained Firefighters are Firefighters
who serve the public part time. They are not, and should not, be
treated as second-class members of the Fire Service. The pay of Part Time Firefighters should be equal to the rate paid to full time Firefighters. The risks faced by an operational Firefighter do not alter with the time of day, the day of the year, or the colour or shape of helmet markings. The risks are the same and pay should reflect that. There is a high turnover of Part Time Firefighters in the Fire Service. This is of little surprise when Part Time Firefighters feel that all too often they are treated as second class in the conditions of service they work under and their pay. Central Government must properly fund the Fire Service and all elements of it. This includes pay. If we have money to fight wars in overseas countries in the name of preventing death by terrorist acts surely we have funds to ensure we save lives in this country currently being lost through an under-funded Fire Service. The public deserve the best service possible not one being less able to operate than it could through a lack of funds. At a period when we are all asked to undertake ever more tasks and expand both what we know and what we can do, it cannot be right that the pay we receive for doing this stagnates, just as it cannot be right that two Firefighters working side by side are paid at different rates. Part Time Firefighters deserve and have the right to expect the same rate of hourly pay as a Full Time Firefighter. £6:20 an hour cannot be a fair rate of pay for the job expected of all Part Time Firefighters. We should not be in the situation where workers in any organisation in the 21st Century are doing work of equal value yet are paid unequally. Control Staff, Part Time Firefighters and Full Time Firefighters have every right to expect equal pay when they do work of equal value. Part Time Firefighters should be paid a retaining fee of £7,500 a year and the same hourly rate as Full Time Firefighters. We need to ensure that where there are a lower number of turnouts we retain Firefighters at Part Time stations to ensure they are available when they are needed. Where the number of calls is higher we must ensure they are fairly paid for the job they do and the dedication they show. We cannot expect any member of the Fire Service to leave their primary occupation and have their wages reduced without a fair payment being made when they serve the public in their Fire Service role. The high turnover of Part Time Firefighters costs the Service a great deal of money spent on training, a lot of time used in recruitment; and a good deal of lost skill as we fail to retain those we train in the first place. If I as a Firefighter were trapped in a fire I would not care the sex, age, rank, size or religious belief of anyone who came to help me. I would not care if they had spent 18 years in the Service as a Full Time Firefighter, or 3 years as a Part Time Firefighter. In fact all I would want to be sure of is that they could help me. The same applies to members of the public in need. If we want to ensure we have enough Part Time Firefighters to provide a Service at our most efficient we must have well-trained, skilled and motivated employees. One cannot expect any workforce to feel properly valued if they are underpaid. This fight for fair pay is for every member of the FBU. Pay for all sections, Retained, Officers, or Control are linked to the pay of Full Time Firefighters and when we fight we win for all sections of the fire service and all members of the FBU. All members of the Fire Service do a first class job and deserve first class pay. Our communities gain from the dedication Part Time Firefighters show. The Public gain by the service they receive from local stations. Employers gain from the teamwork and confidence Part Time Firefighters develop. The UK Fire Service gains by having Fire Cover provided where it wouldn’t be otherwise. But if the growing loss in the number of Part Time Firefighters continues we will all lose. Some organisations say they talk for Part Time Firefighters yet they have no voice. They say they care about the Fire Service as a whole yet will not support those who work Full Time within it. They say they feel the pay of Part Time Firefighters should be looked at but they don’t say what they actually want! In short they Can’t Talk; Won’t Talk, Don’t Talk. Part Time Firefighters deserve a fair deal and they deserve it now. The only way Part Time Firefighters get a say in their conditions and pay is by being represented and supported by the FBU. I am quite clear in what I believe we should be paying Part Time Firefighters. £7,500 a year as a retaining fee, and an hourly rate equal to that of a Full Time Firefighter. Firefighters and Control Staff deserve a fair rate of pay for the work they do, the skills have, and the service they give. One section of the Fire Service cannot operate without the support of the other sections and each does work of equal value. Our pay must reflect that. Fair Pay for Part Time Firefighters NOW Dean Mills Regional Secretary Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any queries or want any more information please contact me on:
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