Calls to invest in fire brigades with 'Fund the Frontline' campaign

This is the warning from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) as new figures reveal brigades have faced the Covid-19 pandemic with 11,237 fewer firefighters and control staff than a decade ago.

The union said at least 5,000 firefighters need to be recruited to ensure services can tackle “the risks of today and tomorrow”.

Firefighters have to deal with the combined threats of the coronavirus pandemic, terrorism, the post-Grenfell building safety crisis and climate change-related events including flooding and wildfires.

During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, firefighters took on 14 new activities including driving ambulances and delivering PPE.

But the union says that if the pandemic had broken out during mass-flooding in the UK earlier in 2020, its firefighters may have not been able to support the crisis response.

The FBU has launched a #FundTheFrontline campaign, in which firefighters and the public will be asked to write to their MPs demanding urgent investment in the Government’s one-year spending review.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak need to recognise the scale of risk faced by the public and fund the frontline firefighters who keep people safe.

"We need at least 5,000 new firefighters immediately to repair some of the damage austerity has done to our service and prepare for the risks of today and tomorrow.”

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said that it has faced ‘significant cuts’ in Government funding over the last 10 years – but says it has worked with staff and trade unions to ensure it prioritised protecting the frontline services.

Chief Fire Officer, Stuart Errington, said in a statement: "Whilst this has been an extremely challenging time for all staff we are proud of the way everyone in the organisation has adapted the way we work to ensure we can continue to provide a first class emergency service.

"We have used the specific funding we have received from the Government to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic to increase the number of firefighters we have available, however continuing with these additional resources will not be possible without an increase in the level of funding we receive from the Government over the medium-term.”

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