Fire crews ‘facing intense pressure’

FIRE CHIEFS have warned that they are facing mounting pressures in the run-up to Bonfire Night with the emergency service having to tackle a growing number of call-outs to arson attacks caused by rogue fireworks.

The weeks leading up to November 5 are traditionally the busiest time of the year for brigades across the country, and senior fire officers have admitted that they are facing mounting problems in West Yorkshire’s biggest cities.

Area Manager Jim Butters claimed that Bradford has the “biggest issues” with crews dealing with reports of people letting off fireworks at “all hours of the day” in previous years.

Mr Butters also revealed that specific districts in Leeds have been blighted by problems, with Hyde Park and Headingley being particular blackspots.

Extra resources are being deployed by both West Yorkshire Police and the county’s fire brigade to target known trouble spots.

Mr Butters added: “We work closely with the police to try and keep on top of all this. We work with partners to look at where there might be bonfires that appear unsafe. Because of the time of year you also get kids who are likely to set fire to anything they find on the side of the road.

“Unfortunately we still get events happening where there are large, unsafe bonfires or civil disobedience, so we will be enhancing our usual response in that period.”

Ahead of the Bonfire Night celebrations last year, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) issued a national warning about the drain on resources amid claims that the number of firefighter posts in England had fallen by 500 in the previous 12 months.

The FBU said dwindling numbers of firefighters had put brigades under intense pressure, meaning it was taking 30 seconds longer for crews to reach call-outs in 2018 compared to 2010.