Outsourcing Emergency Response - Group 4 to Provide Backup For Emergency Services

One of Britain's largest private security firms is to be awarded a £100m contract to provide cover for the emergency services when they are on strike or swamped by a national disaster, because the army is too stretched to offer back-up.

The revelation is likely to raise fresh questions about the UK's military capability and has prompted concerns about public safety. Unions have also accused the government of using the private sector to act as 'strike breakers' - a damaging charge against Labour as it attempts to shore up its core vote.

Under the Civil Contingencies Act, emergency services have a duty to put in place 'business continuity' arrangements to ensure they can cope in the face of industrial action or a major emergency.

In the past this has seen the army fill the void, operating the famous Green Goddess fire engines that provide cover during strikes. But, according to a secret framework document, drawn up by the Chief Fire Officers' Association (CFOA) in conjunction with the government, 'it cannot be assumed that the Armed Forces will be available to provide cover in the event of industrial action by firefighters'.

Instead, the CFOA is to launch Operation Fireguard, under which 33 Fire and Rescue Services in England and Wales will employ a private contractor, Group 4 Security, to supply emergency service personnel at times of crisis.

Under the tendering contract, a draft of which has been obtained by The Observer, the private firm 'could be called on in scenarios such as pandemic flu, industrial action, or as a result of a catastrophic incident or natural disaster'.

The Observer has also learned that the government has considered using the private sector to replace military personnel offering cover during industrial action by fuel tanker drivers.

On Friday, the heads of England's regional fire services met privately in London to discuss the plan, which likely to be approved by the autumn. It is believed Group 4 will receive a one-off, up-front payment of about £10 million, and then an annual £9 million over the life of the 10-year contract in return for supplying a pool of staff as cover.

Adverts seeking retired fire-fighters to provide contingency emergency cover were placed last year amid the bidding war for the contract.

Emergency fire crew cover were told they could earn £600 a week, as well as a significant bonus for signing up. The government insists the plan will help Fire and Rescue Services meet their legal obligations.

But Matt Wrack, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, attacked the use of retired fire-fighters. 'It's a privatised Dad's Army training for the battle that never comes,' Wrack said. 'If the real army had not been cut back so much, this would not be happening.'

And he warned that the taxpayer would end up footing the bill. 'It is scandalous to offer privatised strikebreakers many times the weekly pay of the squaddies they replace,' Wrack said.

'If the government ploughed millions into cash-starved fire services, there wouldn't be disputes in the first place.'

But Barry Dixon, the chief fire officer of Greater Manchester, said using the army was no longer an option because it was fighting in two theatres of war.

'The pressure on the military is such that we can't rely on them,' Dixon said. 'This is a difficult decision, but we do need to have business continuity provision.'

Dixon said the changing nature of the challenges facing the service meant they had little alternative but to look to the private sector. 'The potential scale of a natural disaster or a terrorist act can have a serious impact on the way the service performs.'

G4 Security describes itself as 'the largest security solutions company in the UK'. The company has 30,000 employees and a turnover of £1.1 billion.

Article appeared in the Guardian