New research published today by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) shows that 73% of the British public feel firefighters help contribute to society’s wellbeing, next only to doctors (87%) and hospital workers (81%). Respondents were asked to choose six professions they held the most esteem for.
Some three quarters of respondents to an online survey of 1,015 people conducted in August (2015) by YouGov for the FBU showed that the public believe firefighters and teachers contribute to society’s wellbeing at the same level, with the two professions achieving a joint third place. In a list of thirteen professions police came fourth at 67%, with actors scoring 9%, and bankers at the bottom of the league at just 4%.
In terms of who the public hold in the highest esteem among a list of 13 professions, firefighters came third, again only ranking below doctors and hospital workers. Teachers however scored lower on the esteem rating, with police worse still, achieving just half of the 12% scored for firefighters. Women, people aged 35-44 and those living in the east or south of England were most likely to hold firefighters in high esteem.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU, said “This survey shows what we already know, which is that the public places a tremendous value on the work firefighters do, which isn’t just about fighting fires these days, but a whole range of other work, from assisting paramedics, to emergency response, lift rescues, public education, chemical spillages and road traffic accidents and even assisting at the thankfully rare scenes of terrorist attacks such as 7/7. Firefighters put their lives at risk to save others, and this selflessness is clearly something the public hold very dear. It’s a great shame that the government are focussed on decimating the fire and rescue service instead of injecting the investment it now badly needs in order to save lives and protect communities.”
Some 84% of respondents opposed cuts to the fire and rescue service, with just 4% thinking there should be fewer firefighters serving the public – the remainder of the response was split evenly with 43% believing we should keep jobs at the same level and the same proportion believing firefighter job numbers need to increase. Nearly 7000 frontline firefighter jobs have been lost since the coalition government were elected in 2010.
Another 88% of respondents think the fire and rescue service, which makes up around 4% of council tax bills, is good value for money – police services are allocated 10-11% of council tax.
More than nine in ten (95%) of survey respondents agreed that rapid response to fires needs to be a priority – government figures show that fire engines now take on average 20% longer to get to house fires than they did 10 years ago.
Matt Wrack continued “It is extremely worrying that response times have increased by one fifth over the last decade, but the government seems not to share these concerns. It isn’t overly dramatic to say that lives are being put at risk by this government’s austerity policies – sadly, it is nothing less than the truth. The majority of people don’t want police or private firms to run their fire and rescue service, and this survey shows we have the public firmly on our side. The FBU is the voice of professional firefighters, and we will continue to fight for the properly funded fire and rescue service the public want and deserve.”
