Staffs feels the heat of firefighter job cuts
COUNTY LOST MORE THAN MOST OF UK SINCE GRENFELL
STAFFORDSHIRE has lost more firefighters than most other parts of the country since the Grenfell Tower disaster, shock new figures have revealed.
The number of full-time firefighters covering the county plummeted from 326 in 2017 to 299 in March 2021, most recent data showed.
On-call firefighters also fell from 381 to 349 during the same period.
It is one of more than 20 areas across England to see the number of firefighters and control room staff dwindle since the tragic fire at the London tower block five years ago, which took the lives of 72 people.
But Staffordshire’s numbers have been cut more harshly than most other services.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) described the workforce cuts as “an insult to the people who lost their lives” and accused the Government of “gambling with lives”.
Ministers, however, said it was the responsibility of individual authorities to ensure their areas had enough firefighters.
Across England, the total stood at 36,448 at the end of March last year, 176 fewer than the 36,624 recorded in March 2017. However, London Fire Brigade saw the figure rise by 45 – from 4,799 up to 4,844.
The national drop was driven entirely by the shrinking number of full-time roles, which fell by 335 over the period.
That was partially offset by an increase of 109 on-call firefighters, and 50 control staff.
This came after large cuts to fire and rescue services in the run-up to Grenfell, said the FBU, which added the UK had already lost more than 11,000 firefighter roles between 2010 and 2017 – nearly one in five positions.
Matt Wrack, the FBU’S general secretary, said: “Despite the worst UK domestic fire in living memory, the Government is still failing to change direction and take fire safety and the fire service seriously.
“It is an insult to the people who lost their lives and it is an insult to the Grenfell community. Unfortunately, none of this is a surprise.”
He added: “We should not take our eye off just how heartless you have to be to see an incident like Grenfell and then continue on a path like this. “They are gambling with lives.” Staffordshire’s deputy chief fire officer Glynn Luznyj said: “We did make a necessary reduction of 40 wholetime firefighter posts in 2017/18, which was negotiated with the FBU and was achieved by not replacing individuals who retired during this period.
“Our structures were remodelled to accommodate for the changes. However, firefighter and community safety were not affected.
“On-call firefighter numbers fluctuate depending on the number of hours cover each individual gives. However, we do have an ongoing recruitment campaign for on-call firefighters and we’d encourage people to consider the role.
“We are confident we have the resources to meet our current demand and we have continued to invest in community and business safety to reduce the likelihood of incidents occurring. This includes our successful sprinkler project, which has seen the installation of sprinklers in high- and low-rise flats across the county.”
A Government spokesman said: “Firefighters work tirelessly every day to protect our communities. The Home Office works closely with fire and rescue services to ensure they have adequate resources needed to do their work.
“But it is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure they have the appropriate number of firefighters and control staff to deliver their core functions.
“Since the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase One report was published in October 2019, the Government has introduced new legislation, worked closely with the London Fire Brigade to monitor their action plan, and improved the capacity and capability of the National Fire Chiefs Council.”