Reacting to reports that Cumbria County Council’s budget consultation could see the closure of a retained fire station and the loss of 6 fire engines and 40 retained firefighters, FBU North West Secretary, Les Skarratts, said:
“These cuts will slow emergency response times and lead to more deaths and injuries as a result of a reduced ability to deal with fire, floods, traffic incidents and other emergencies such as terrorist attack.
“In addition, more lives will be destroyed as a result of damage to property, communities, businesses, schools, the economy and the environment.
“Every firefighter, whether retained or whole-time, plays a crucial role in protecting public safety: there are no ‘backroom’ savings to be made.
“The council and central government must sit down together and work out how to balance their budgets without putting people’s lives at risk.”
The council’s proposals include cuts over £500,000 every year for the next few years.
