Plans for redundancies and £3.7 million of cuts to Hereford and Worcester Fire Service are dangerous and wrong, local firefighters have said.
Representatives of the Fire Brigades Union were informed of possible compulsory redundancies at a meeting with senior managers last week.
As well as £2 million in back-office savings, the fire authority will vote on Wednesday over plans to make £1.7 million cuts to the service’s frontline budget.
Steve Gould, FBU secretary for Hereford and Worcester, said: “These cuts are dangerous and could cost the lives of firefighters and the general public.
“It could mean that the firefighters who have been working so hard to combat recent floods could be made redundant within six months.
“How will our communities cope with future floods with even less rescue cover?
“Just £5 extra per household would prevent these cuts happening.
“Firefighters take great pride in serving our local community, and now we need every resident in Hereford and Worcester to tell their politicians: no more cuts to local fire services.”
Firefighters have been lobbying local councillors and their MPs over the dangers posed by reducing funding to the service, although were frustrated by the fire authority’s refusal to lobby central government over funding.
The cuts will see the loss of a full-time fire engine from both Hereford and Worcester fire stations, leaving just one full-time engine for the whole of Herefordshire and one for Worcester.
This would put a far greater strain on the neighbouring communities of Malvern and Droitwich, who will have to send their fire engines to back-up Worcester crews.
Ledbury, Tenbury Wells and Redditch fire stations will also lose half their fire engines (all part-time).
The meeting will take place at County Hall at 10.30am.
