The government slashed fire service budgets by 30% in the last parliament and have plans to cut another 20% in this one.
The service has already lost 11,000 – one in six – frontline firefighters since 2010 and there have been stations closures and reductions in the number of fire appliances and equipment.
Firefighters and the fire service – especially through the Fire Brigades Union – have been voluble in their opposition to the cuts. A number of reports in regional newspapers have shed more light on the impact of the cuts, which goes beyond the service’s ability to respond quickly and effectively not just to fires but also floods, road traffic collisions, chemical spillages, civil contingencies, industrial disasters and terrorist attacks.
Watch the video below to find out about cuts to the numbers of fire risk checks carried out in homes along with other key insights.
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