Well, it seems we at Leigh fire station who have instigated the 'Save Our Pump' campaign are getting hot under the collar unnecessarily according to last week's reports from our deputy county fire officer.

It appears, perversely, that moving a fire pump from Leigh to Wigan is going to save lives, not put them at risk.

We think, however, that we need to examine the small print of what he actually said before we abandon our successful campaign to stop these ludicrous and dangerous proposals.

Mr Proctor made a fantastic case for Wigan having the significant investment into the two planned new fire stations and an additional pump to alleviate what the fire authority have known for years to be a severe problem in covering the huge area from Ashton to Standish from Wigan's Robin Park Road station.

He rightly said that Wigan is one of the busiest stations in GMC and is second in the league table of fire deaths in the county, therefore the case for an extra pump in Wigan is overwhelming and has been made for many years.

We agree. Where we part company with our senior officers is in the belief that this problem should be solved by stripping Leigh of half its fire cover by moving a second pump to the proposed station in the south of Wigan.

Let's look a little more closely at the points our officers have made to try and convince you of the merits of their proposals.

Mr Proctor unfairly compares Leigh fire station to Wigan in its fire calls, population and geographical area, knowing full well that this is not a real comparison. Leigh is a smaller town than Wigan and therefore comparison is in no way like for like.

When, for example, Leigh is compared with similar towns such as Bury, Eccles and Stretford we have similar areas and population, and also similar workloads and fire call statistics. Quite rightly, there are no proposals to reduce those towns to one pump.

He also attempts to make the point that Leigh is 33rd out of 41 stations in the fire death league, as if this is something to be ashamed of. Leigh fire station and its personnel have invested heavily in community fire safety over the years, to the extent that the station is recognised as the "best performing station in the county when it comes to reducing fires and their consequences".

We ask the authors of these proposals this: "Is this work that we have proudly done over so many years to reduce fire deaths in Leigh to be rewarded with the reduction of our fire cover for the public we serve? Is it seen at the higher levels of GMC fire service as a bad thing that we are at the bottom of the fire death league table?".

We don't see it that way, we see it as what the fire service of the future should be doing, but not at the expense of front line emergency cover to the recipients of our good work -- the people of Leigh.

Mr Proctor also, it seems, objects to our ascertation that it would take 20 minutes for a fire engine to arrive in the area if Leigh, Atherton and Hindley were to be stripped by just one 999 call, which would be true if Leigh was reduced to one pump.

He states that stand-by crews would be sent from Farnworth or Eccles. It is particularly interesting for us to hear that GMC fire service is being altered on the hoof, as at the moment no stand-by pumps are sent to other stations unless the fire engines are engaged more than 30 minutes, and then only to two pump stations, meaning Leigh's demotion to one pump would not warrant a stand-by pump.

He also makes the point that we spend time outside our own town area backing up other fire stations. Perhaps nowhere is the paucity of his arguments better illustrated than in this crass and quite frankly maliciously misleading comment. Of course we go into other station areas, in the same way that other stations come into Leigh, it is by definition what fire engines do throughout Greater Manchester.

The truth is simple, the fire authority have been 'found out' with regard to the inadequate supply of fire cover to Wigan and are trying to solve the problem on the cheap. Yet again, it is the people of Leigh who are suffering.

Do not be fooled by bogus statistics and false ascertations from senior management who have invented these dangerous proposals, always remember that one fact will always remain no matter how much the waters are muddied, a fire engine is being moved from Leigh to Wigan.

We believe it is fundamentally wrong and we know that you agree with us. We believe there comes a time when cuts in public services under the corrupt banner of 'best value' become self defeating and that time has arrived. We ask that you continue to support us in our fight, because together we can win.

The firefighters of

Leigh