Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Vandals set 250 fires in one weekend in Strathclyde, tying up resources and endangering innocent lives, the price of ‘fun’ is too high















Dear All

The Strathclyde Fire and Rescue arguably provide a valuable service to the people of the Strathclyde region.

When people have serious life threatening problems like drowning, car crashes or fires, they are the people running towards it to help.

Since April there have been 6400 fires, of which the majority have been set by young people and kids, one weekend alone see more than 250 deliberately set fires.

Typically bored kids with nothing to do and nowhere to go target rubbish, grassland and derelict buildings.

They start a fire and it gets out of control, what was done for a laugh sometimes turns deadly.

And it is not just their own lives put at risk by tying up the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service they also put others and those of the Firemen as well.

North Lanarkshire area commander Robert Scott said:

“There is a mistaken belief that deliberate fire-setting is only a nuisance. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Each deliberate fire ties up at least one appliance that may be needed at a house fire, for instance, or a serious road traffic collision. Each blue-light journey poses a potential risk to fire crews and other road users. Deliberate fires have a major financial cost for our service. I would call on communities throughout Strathclyde to help us and our partners to drive down fire-setting. Children and young people, who are responsible for most deliberate fires, should be warned about the dangers they pose to themselves and others.”

To raise awareness of the cost of their actions, a campaign has been targeted at the community, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue’s Deliberate Fire-Setting Campaign.

The aim is simple, take responsibility and don’t endanger people.

The stats are shocking

Coatbridge (657)
Motherwell (587)
Bellshill (356)
Cumbernauld (316)
Hamilton (612)
East Kilbride (255)
Pollok Glasgow (483)
Springburn (437)
Easterhouse (403)
Kilwinning (287)
Dreghorn (265)
Greenock (358)
Paisley (414)
Kilmarnock (429)
Clydebank (418)
Ayr (305

Most of these areas have high density of sink housing schemes where kids and young people have nothing to do and nowhere to go.

These are in mostly Labour controlled areas where they have run down facilities, closed community centres and sports facilities.

Not only have Labour failed to invest in communities they have also refused to invest in people.

Recently in Glasgow there was a tragic drowning of a little boy who had gone to the rescue of his friend in trouble, this incident was attended by Strathclyde Fire and Rescue who entered the water.

Isn’t about time to stop fire-raising and let the Firemen do their job?

They are there to help us, so help them, don’t start fires.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

1 comment:

RantinRab said...

Well, it'll get the fire men out of their bed at night.

I don't have much time the the Fire and Rescue 'service' to be honest. It's infected with the stupid petty elf'n'safety nonsense and power mad tossers.