Councillor Tom Marshall's response to Chief Fire Officer

You may draw your own conclusions from this reponse that Cllr Marshall has kindly shared with me. I look forward to reading them in due course!



10-11-07
Your Ref AMc/CFO/SW

Dear Tony,
In a modern authority I thought that you at least would have an e-mail address apart from a web site, this could have saved the Council Tax payers a small amount and reduced the environmental footprint of an envelope.
I am sorry you do not like our Tender portrayed in the leaflet, the Officers who use it have not complained.
In your presentation to Councillors you said, and I quote “deprived areas have more problems”. My area is one of the highest deprived areas in the city.
You state in your report that we do not have the numbers on call outs, I agree, but we have dozen’s of fires un-reported. Will give instances and Officer reports later.
Your Senior Officer had not been seen at any local meeting until Lee Manor had that many calls and £500,000 worth of damage, Caldway Manor on the verge of collapse, maisonettes due for demolition, on fire night after night.
The Police calling incidents Fire Starting, not Arson, lessening the seriousness of the situation.
In an area of low employment opportunities you propose to take away another how many was it 12 plus, and £300,000. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
While the Tender stands idle in Belle Vale, Tenders from Speke and beyond take their calls, I live local to the station so do not try to tell me different.
Response time must be different as they have to come down country lanes to get here or come through Gateacre Village which is grid locked most times, unless you have a time machine we do not know about.
Under-reporting is a major problem here, the Police will support this as they complain about our tight lipped community.
In the last few weeks to my knowledge, as I have had to deal with it, 3 bus shelters loaded up with wheelie bins and burnt out.
Caldway old rent office petrol bombed and fire officers stoned.
I enclose a report from one of our Parks Officers.
5-11-07 fire started on Ringway Rd, L25, 6-30pm, this went on till 3-45am.
Dozens of fence panels taken from home owners and burnt, 40 foot of fence from the side of a building plus the back gate, 24 plus wheelie bins, trolley’s and 2 gas bottles. These yobs had their parents with them.
You would not think we had a Police Station as well as a Fire Station on our estate.
Residents tell me they watch the antics but do not report as it is none of their business.
So it goes on.
You tell me Firemen want to work longer hours, not what I am told, some do and am not surprised, I have knowledge of one of their wives and I would rather not go home, on the other hand I would not want him home either.
Most Fire Officers are young and have small children and want quality time daily with such a dangerous profession.
So tell me, there are no cuts to jobs, there is no finance taken from Belle Vale and I will put out another leaflet praising the Authority for listening to my community.


Regards
Cllr Tom Marshall


Member of Lee Park Community Association
Member of Management Committee Lee Valley Millennium Centre
Secretary of the Woodlands Centre
Member of the Management Committee of the Lyndene Centre
Treasurer / Organiser Netherley Valley Youth Angling Project