{"id":8593,"date":"2016-05-04T13:51:20","date_gmt":"2016-05-04T12:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=8593"},"modified":"2016-05-05T15:40:23","modified_gmt":"2016-05-05T14:40:23","slug":"cost-cutting-death-traps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=8593","title":{"rendered":"Cost-cutting ‘death traps’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dangerous cost cutting has turned more than 80 military training grounds into \u00e2\u20ac\u015bdeath traps\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Unite has warned, after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) allowed \u00e2\u20ac\u0098look out\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 firing range wardens to be withdrawn to save money.<\/p>\n

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The lack of precautions were spotlighted recently when group of Gurkha soldiers walked into the \u00e2\u20ac\u015barc of fire\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 at a live firing range in Hythe, Kent.<\/p>\n

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The moves were implemented after the MoD farmed out safety at its UK sites to land management company Landmarc. The decision to axe vital warden staff formed a cornerstone of Landmarc\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pitch when it bid for the national training estate prime (NTEP) contract in 2014.<\/p>\n

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In a letter to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), Unite regional officer Bob Middleton said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis important safety issue is no longer subject to discussion as Landmarc do not have enough employees to now cover all of the ranges that used to be covered under the contract.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bEarlier last week a group of Gurkha soldiers, who were using the ranges at Hythe in Kent, decided to walk down the range they were using to the foreshore.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe range next to them was still being used. They were, therefore, in the arc of fire and could have been injured or killed. I have been informed that following this incident the affected ranges were closed for two hours whilst there was an investigation.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bHad there been a range warden stationed at the range they would have been able to monitor the users\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 behaviour, as they have always done and stop any unsafe practices.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis incident was formally recorded and is just one of several incidents that have happened over the past few months.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI am requesting the DIO review the decision to remove the range wardens from the ranges.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Despite Landmarc\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s website stating that their decade-long relationship with the MoD ensures that \u00e2\u20ac\u015bmilitary training estates are safe, effective and sustainable places to train the armed forces,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Middleton warned the cuts have compromised civilian and military safety.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe firing ranges have become \u00e2\u20ac\u0098death traps\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 because the wardens, who used to look out for people inadvertently walking into the line of fire, have been withdrawn as part of Landmarc\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cost-cutting agenda rubber stamped by the defence ministry,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe wrote to defence secretary Michael Fallon on this issue, but received no direct reply. Yet, a family with young children out walking the family labrador could take a wrong turn and be blown to smithereens because of the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s privatisation agenda.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Unite is pressuring the government to see sense and reinstate look out wardens.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bCost cutting can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come before public safety. We urge ministers to order a rethink on what is happening \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the public demands no less,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Middleton said.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe warden rangers have been withdrawn from monitoring the firing ranges and have been renamed training area operatives doing a variety of jobs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but not being wardens at the firing ranges.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dangerous cost cutting has turned more than 80 military training grounds into \u00e2\u20ac\u015bdeath traps\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Unite has warned, after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) allowed \u00e2\u20ac\u0098look out\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 firing range wardens to be withdrawn to save money.   The lack of precautions were spotlighted recently when group of Gurkha soldiers walked into the \u00e2\u20ac\u015barc of fire\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[144],"wps_subtitle":"Unite condemns dangerous MoD cuts","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8593"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8593"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8594,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8593\/revisions\/8594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}