fire and rescue

Scottish public at risk as fire services face years of cuts

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/scottish-public-risk-fire-services-face-years-cuts

Firefighters from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) take part in the Cuts Leave Scars rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, calling for an end to cuts imposed on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service over the last 10 years, October 26, 2023

YEARS of cuts in fire and rescue services in Scotland have left public safety at risk as emergency response times lengthen and fewer fire appliances can be mobilised.

The Fire Brigades Union said (FBU) firefighter numbers are the lowest since eight regional fire brigades merged to form the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) in 2013 — down from 4,159 full-time posts to 3,422, a loss of 737 jobs.

The number of control room staff, who take emergency calls and mobilise crews, fell from 234 to 172.

Part-time retained firefighters, who cover 80 per cent of Scotland, including rural and island communities, saw 344 front-line jobs go.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/scottish-public-risk-fire-services-face-years-cuts

Continue ReadingScottish public at risk as fire services face years of cuts

Fire services can no longer guarantee public safety due to cuts, union warns

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/fire-services-can-no-longer-guarantee-public-safety-due-cuts-union-warns

New London Fire Brigade recruits go through their paces during a drill at a Fire station in East London, July 21, 2022

FIRE and rescue services can no longer ensure public safety, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned as it revealed the full extent of Tory cuts across Britain.

Between 2010 and this year, 21 per cent of front-line firefighters’ jobs — 12,000 — have been axed due to government cuts, new data shows.

The FBU also found that 4,000 firefighters have both a full-time and an on-call contract and are counted as two workers in the data, meaning that firefighter numbers available are even lower than the data suggests.

The union said response times to life-threatening fires had slowed by three minutes, from 6.11 minutes in 1995 to 9.13 minutes in 2023.

FIRE and rescue services can no longer ensure public safety, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned as it revealed the full extent of Tory cuts across Britain.

Between 2010 and this year, 21 per cent of front-line firefighters’ jobs — 12,000 — have been axed due to government cuts, new data shows.

The FBU also found that 4,000 firefighters have both a full-time and an on-call contract and are counted as two workers in the data, meaning that firefighter numbers available are even lower than the data suggests.

The union said response times to life-threatening fires had slowed by three minutes, from 6.11 minutes in 1995 to 9.13 minutes in 2023.

…

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/fire-services-can-no-longer-guarantee-public-safety-due-cuts-union-warns

Continue ReadingFire services can no longer guarantee public safety due to cuts, union warns