Roger Exley - Cumbria Fire Service

Mr Exley, pictured with President Keith, told how he was following in the footsteps of his father, also Roger, who moved from Oxford in Barrow in 1969 to be the area’s chief fire officer.

He said his father had been forced to retire in 1986 because of his eyesight – “he was really upset because he lived for the job.”

Roger jnr explained how the fire fighter’s body equipment had improved vastly from the days of rubber wet legs, rubber wellingtons and “garden gloves” to be more protective now.

But his concerns were over savings forced on Cumbria County Council by the Government meaning there was a reduction of £2.13 million in the annual funding.

He told how the 999 call centre for Cumbria was now at Warrington with the lack of local knowledge leading to Barrow crews having been “mobilised to incorrect areas.”

Roger jnr explained how Barrow had had 64 full time fire fighters but that figure had now been reduced to just 12. The fire station at Dalton had closed and “there is the potential for the closure of more stations.”

He said the type of incidents they were called to had not changed but their equipment was much improved.  He said in addition to fires they had more calls to road traffic collisions to extricate people from vehicles and responded to calls for incidents of flooding.

He said there was a fight on now to save the pensions of fire fighters. They contributed 16 per cent of their wages to their pension fund and while at one time they could retire after nine years now they had to put in longer service and he expressed his concern over the fitness of fire fighters having to work past the age of 60.