Fire boss 'should quit' over cuts

The firefighters' union fears lives could be lost if job cuts are made

Firefighters in East Sussex have said they have "no confidence" in the leadership of their chief fire officer.

Des Pritchard has been accused of putting the lives of fire crews and the public at risk in order to push through bureaucratic changes.

The Fire Brigades Union has urged him to resign over the suggestion that 48 jobs could go across the county if the fire service's budget is cut next year

The East Sussex Fire Authority was discussing the budget on Thursday.

Aerial appliances

Proposals have been put forward to modernise and improve the fire service as part of the authority's annual action plan.

The fire service in East Sussex has an annual budget of £35m.

The authority is required to publish the risk management plan each year, and it contains nine separate proposals.

The job cuts would affect officers manning some of the aerial appliances, which are used to rescue victims of fire and other emergencies from heights of up to 32 metres.

'Clear guidelines'

FBU spokesman Jim Parrott said it would be "putting the public at risk".

"The fire authority has been set clear guidelines by government to improve frontline services through prevention intervention, and we do not believe they are doing that," he said.

The fire authority has said it would never put any lives at risk, and that the proposal is just one of a number of options under consideration.

Its document is available for public consultation until the end of December, with a final decision due to be made next February.