FBU balloons on a demonstration

New figures obtained by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have revealed that 12,000 firefighter posts have been lost to cuts since 2010. According to the data FBU has obtained, a fifth of firefighter jobs have been cut since 2010, alongside one in three fire control staff.

Meanwhile response times to life threatening fires have slowed by three minutes, from 6.11 minutes in 1995 to 9.13 minutes in 2023.

England was the worst impacted, with 10,000 jobs cut (22%). In the same period, Scotland lost 1,400 firefighters (18%), Wales lost 500 (13%), and Northern Ireland lost over 200 (12%).

12 fire and rescue services in England have lost a quarter or more of their workforce. The worst hit service was Buckinghamshire, which has been cut by over 40%.

The FBU says that this shows the UK has been left without the resilience needed to guarantee public safety. (1)

Speaking on the figures, Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary said: “Fourteen years of austerity have devastated the fire and rescue service. Every region has been hit, with 12,000 firefighters lost to cuts across the UK.

“With flooding, wildfires and storms on the rise as a result of the climate emergency, firefighters are being asked to do more with less. 999 response times are slower than ever before, putting homes and lives at risk.

“To protect the public, Labour must invest in the fire and rescue service as a matter of urgency.”

Image credit: Socialist Appeal – Creative Commons