Firefighters are at “breaking point” amid a perfect storm of slashed jobs, pay cuts and pressure to cope with the effects of climate change, say campaigners.
One union boss calls it a “national scandal” and fears a mass exodus as exhausted firefighters quit to find less demanding but better-paid jobs.
Since 2011, fire services have seen almost a quarter of their jobs cut – around 11,500 posts – according to the Fire Brigades Union. And 46 fire stations closed in the 10 years to 2020.
The remaining staff have to combat the effects of increasingly extreme weather, like the fires caused by Britain’s worst-ever heatwave last week.
A record 16 firefighters were injured or taken to hospital with heat exhaustion and burns while battling the effects of temperatures of 40C-plus in places.
Fires destroyed more than 60 homes as 14 services declared major incidents on the hottest day ever in Britain. Firefighters tackled at least 22 wildfires and hundreds of smaller outbreaks.
With wildfires, storms and floods all predicted to rise, Britain is now “less able to cope” than it would have been 12 years ago, warns the union.
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General Secretary Matt Wrack said: “It is staggering, it’s disgraceful and it should be a national scandal. That scale of job losses means that, on a day-to-day basis, there are fewer fire engines available and fewer firefighters on those engines.
“Ministers have utterly demolished resilience in the fire service. If you have a major protracted incident, firefighters are working in extreme heat in heavy protective equipment which means their bodies become hot.
“Fatigue can set in and there should be provision in place to relieve them and put other crews in. If you’ve slashed the workforce to that degree, the ability to do that is limited.
“We have warned of the growing threat for years but our concerns have fallen on deaf ears. We’ve not had major wildfires damaging and destroying houses before. If, as everyone expects, these incidents are going to persist and potentially get worse, we should be planning for that.”
This year alone has seen 442 wildfires in England and Wales, almost double last year’s figure of 247.
London Fire Brigade had its busiest day since World War Two on Tuesday, dealing with more than 1,146 incidents and taking 2,670 calls. On a normal day, there are 350 to 500 calls.
Commissioner Andy Roe told how his staff ’s “extraordinary bravery in the face of extreme conditions” had saved lives.
“Being out in the field for six or seven hours or in the community trying to stop fire getting to houses in that heat, in heavy gear and dragging a hose and wearing breathing apparatus is extremely physically arduous,” he said.
“Those actions meant that, despite an unprecedented day, no lives were lost.”
Last week’s events have highlighted the issue of firefighter pay. The Government has offered them a rise of 2% while the police are getting 5%.
Firefighters start on about £24,000, rising to £32,000 when trained. Watch managers earn around £38,000.
Mr Roe said: “We’ve got a set of colleagues who deserve their 5% and I applaud the Government for having recognised that, but I need it recognised for firefighters. They’re magnificent people. I want to work with the Home Office to make sure we can fairly pay our staff and efficiently respond to the changing risks.”
The FBU has rejected the two per cent offer and is consulting over next steps, which could include strikes.
Union chief Mr Wrack said: “We are at breaking point. Morale is already at a very, very low ebb.
“People don’t feel valued. It’s not good enough for the Prime Minister to stand up in the House of Commons this week and thank [the nation’s firefighters] then sit back while their jobs are cut and their pay is cut.
“I don’t think anyone could reasonably say they should be expected to take another pay cut, which is essentially what they’ve been asked to do.
“We’re certainly seeing more people leaving than we ever have before. People go off and drive a train and get an instant pay rise of 30%.”
Fire services are facing difficulties in recruiting and keeping retained staff – part-timers, often with other jobs, who provide cover in many rural areas.
“It’s very demanding and, for the pay, increasingly it’s not worth people’s while doing it,” said Mr Wrack.
“You’ve got parts of the country where you might have a fire station with nobody in it.”
The FBU is calling for 5,000 more staff immediately to plug the gap and a review of each fire service to ensure risks are adequately covered.
Mr Roe said the London Fire Brigade was reviewing last week’s events to see “what lessons there are to be learned.”
He called for fundamental reforms outside the fire service. For example, planners should consider the boundaries of urban areas that border vegetation and the Government should look to countries like Australia to prepare for the effects of extreme heat.
“It’s recognising that this is something that could be coming more frequently to this country,” Mr Roe said.
“There are major risks to communities. Nobody thought we’d see this in the London area – it’s generally been a problem for more rural communities.”
Mr Wrack added: “I would hope that the Tories debating who should be the next PM should be debating this.”
The Home Office said: “The Government is committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to keep us safe. Overall, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.5billion in 2022/23.
“The Wildfire Framework published by the Home Office ensures close co-ordination to provide effective response to wildfires.”
