Stand-in fire crews have had two weeks of training

While the London Fire Brigade insists private AssetCo stand-in crews are fully prepared, the contrast between their training and that of a full-time firefighter is striking. AssetCo staff receive two weeks of tuition, while the normal basic course – preceded by a battery of medical and personality tests – is 14 weeks, followed by three years of on the job probationary learning. "It can't be compared," Dave Green, of the Fire Brigades Union, said. "Our members get two weeks just on using breathing apparatus." However, the stand-in crews are not expected to provide the same level of service. The contract between AssetCo and the fire brigade notes that the private firefighters will "default to defensive mode to reflect their training" and supervisors will ensure they are "only committed to roles within their capability". It says more active tactics to fight fires will be "confined to the saving of saveable life".