One third of all the fire brigade vehicles that would be called out if terrorists set off a “dirty bomb” are being scrapped to save money.
The decision – which has provoked protests because of the secrecy surrounding it – comes at a time when the Government has been warning of the danger of terrorists threats to the UK, after the 13 November attack on Paris.
The Incident Response Units (IRUs), with their distinctive red colouring with yellow stripes, were introduced at a cost of £54m in 2004, when the government feared that terrorists would strike in revenge for the Iraq war.
Equipped to deal with a chemical, biological or nuclear attack, the vehicles are distributed around fire stations so that they would never have to travel far to an incident, though they do not belong to the fire brigade but to the Department of Communities and Local Government.
Their equipment includes specialised protective clothing called power respirator protective suits (PRPS). But after 10 years the suits come to the end of their shelf life this month, and rather than pay to replace them all, civil servants at the Communities Department have quietly decided to scrap 22 of the 63 vehicles.
A briefing note drawn up earlier this month and circulated to fire brigades, announced: “The 22 IRUs identified as surplus to requirements will be considered ‘off the run’ from 31 December. It has been necessary to remove the vehicles from service almost immediately due to the imminent expiry dates of the PRPS carried on these vehicles. The remaining 43 IRUs will be issued with replacement PRPS over the next two weeks.”
The decision has prompted protests from the Labour Party and the Fire Brigades Union. Andy Burnham, Labour’s shadow Home Secretary, said: “It cannot possibly be the right time to cut, by a third, our ability to respond to serious terrorist incidents.
“Not only is it the wrong time, but it is even worse that these plans are being hatched in secret, without any public information or consultation. Ministers must put these plans on hold immediately and make a statement to Parliament as soon as it returns.
