Fire crews reel after decade of job cuts

FIRE and rescue services across Yorkshire have experienced major cuts to firefighter numbers over the past 10 years, according to research by the Fire Brigades Union, which has warned brigades will not be ready for major threats without more crew.

Bosses at the FBU revealed that West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has lost 603 firefighters since 2010, a cut of 35 per cent, with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service losing 293 over that time, a reduction of 31 per cent

Humberside and North Yorkshire services have also been cuts of 21 per cent and 11 per cent respectively according to the research which showed that across the UK, there are now than 11,200 fewer firefighters than there were a decade ago.

The FBU today launched a campaign called #FundtheFrontline to lobby the Government for urgent investment to recruit 5,000 new firefighters immediately.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “Be it mass flooding and wildfires caused by climate change, huge post- Grenfell building safety challenges, terrorist attacks or pandemics, firefighters are an all- hazards emergency service on the front line protecting the UK from the vast majority of major threats.

“Increasingly, each time one of these major emergencies breaks out, the public face a roll of the dice, hoping that more than one won’t come at once – and it’s only a matter of time until we lose that gamble.”

A South Yorkshire Fire Service spokeswoman said “big cuts” to Government funding had inevitably affected firefighter numbers but there are plans to recruit dozens more over the coming months.

The Yorkshire Post approached the Government for comment.