A Black Country fire station which shut when the entire crew was sacked is still closed eight months after the firefighters won back their jobs.
The continued closure of Sedgley Community Fire Station has sparked concerns it may never reopen. But a West Midlands Fire Service union representative says the delay is due to the ongoing training of the seven part-time firefighters who have to fit it in with their other jobs. Rachel Spittle is among residents concerned about the future of the station.
She fears there may be a “back-handed” plan to close the station for good.
The Sedgley woman attended a meeting and asked why there was no activity at the station.
“I was told the seven firefighters are undergoing training at present and that they are waiting to promote one of them so they can take charge of the vehicle and its crew,” she said.
“But no-one could answer when they would be on active duty again.”
“What I don’t understand is that to become a firefighter from scratch is only 13 weeks training so why is it taking 40 weeks to date for Sedgley firefighters to complete training?
Dudley borough FBU rep Chris Downes said: “The crew is still completing competency training while holding down other jobs.
“But they are being assessed and once they have proved their competency the station will reopen and I expect it to be sooner rather than late,” he added.
The station was closed last June when all eight of the retained firefighters were suspended following allegations of gross misconduct but details have never been disclosed. Seven were re-instated last October.
Share this article:
What are these?