Firefighters protest against government cuts to axe jobs

Fire Brigades Union members including a group of Hampshire firefighters gathered outside the headquarters of Hampshire Fire and Rescue in Eastleigh this morning, July 15.

Union members have warned that over the last 15 years Hampshire has lost nearly one in four firefighters to cuts and now fire service leaders are being pushed by the government to slash a further £1.6 million from the frontline. 

Hampshire fireman for 27 years, Stuart Eade, 51, said: "When I first started there were 19 firefighters on a watch at Basingstoke - now there are just 14. 

Stuart Eade (Image: NQ) "We know that Redbridge has also faced a similar situation - about 40 firefighters have been lost there over the years.

"What that means is we are having to also spare equipment during incidents such as accidents on the road - you only have a golden hour to try and get a casualty to hospital so having to wait for equipment to come down from places like Portsmouth is putting lives at risk.

"It's not just residents of Hampshire who are at risk - it's also those that travel through the area for work and other things."

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Over 500 people have signed an online petition calling for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Authority and the chief fire officer to stop the £1.6 million cuts. 

Councillor for Totton, David Harrison, attended the demonstration and added: "I'm very much hoping the cuts won't affect the valuable work that these hard-working firefighters do every day - I support the union and firefighters in wanting more resources from the government."

The group made a demonstration at Hampshire Fire and Rescue's HQ in Eastleigh (Image: NQ) On the weekend of June 28, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight fire and rescue service were reduced to just 23 out of 80 fire engines available due to a lack of resources, the FBU said.

Mark Chapman, Fire Brigades Union regional secretary for the south said: "The service is in desperate need of investment after fifteen years of brutal austerity, having already lost nearly 1 in 4 firefighter posts to cut – a staggering reduction. 

"Without enough firefighters on the frontline, firefighters’ safety as well as people’s homes and lives will be at greater risk.”

Rob Cole, assistant chief fire officer at HIWFRS, said: “Our priority will always be the safety of our communities and of our firefighters. In developing our proposals for change we have carefully reviewed our community risk levels against our resources.

“HIWFRS is facing financial challenges. The costs of delivering our services have outpaced the funding we receive. Without an increase in government funding, fire and rescue services have no choice but to find ways to make savings, but we will always seek to do that in a way that ensures we can continue to reduce risk and respond to emergencies as quickly and as effectively as we can.

“We welcome views on the proposed changes and are currently engaging with our firefighters, staff and the unions on all our proposals. We also have a public consultation underway in relation to the changes for the Isle of Wight.”