More than 60 firefighters face an uncertain future as Warwickshire County Council meet this week (8 December) to discuss slashing millions from the county’s fire service budget.
Warwickshire County Council has identified a £67m budget shortfall and is looking at which council services to cut in order to save money. One of the options under consideration is to cut the fire service budget by £2.7m. This comes as the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) warn that the service is already underfunded to the tune of £2.5m.
Pete Goulden, secretary of the FBU in the West Midlands, said: “Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service has suffered seven years of brutal cuts that have already compromised the service we deliver to the public. If councillors do vote to cut back the service, we will not be able to keep the public safe. Further cuts will decimate the service.
“We fear deeply for the people we won’t be able to save because of a lack of resources, and we fear for our firefighters who will have to deal with dangerous situations with fewer colleagues.
“It is a gut wrenching kick in the teeth for anyone who cares about the life saving emergency service. There are going to be a lot of distressed, anxious firefighters who face this festive season with a lot of uncertainty.”
A report published earlier this year by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said the appropriate annual funding for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service was £24.8m. If the cuts are voted through it will mean the county council will fund just £19.4m. In total, the service could face a funding shortfall of £5.2m.
The union has warned that if the cuts are given the go ahead 62 firefighters will face redundancy in the new year, five fire engines will be withdrawn from duty and the fire service could even be forced to merge with one of its neighbouring services.
The FBU says Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is massively underfunded compared to other services. Although the counties of Warwickshire and Shropshire share similar demographics, there is a huge gulf between the amounts each county council spends on fire services. Warwickshire will spend just £22.12 per person on fire services if these cuts go through, compared to Shropshire’s £43.00.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service have faced a huge swathe of budget cuts since 2010. A new work schedule was introduced with the result that 50% fewer firefighters are now on shift at any one time. The target attendance time of 15 minutes before the vital second fire engine reaches an emergency is only met 68% of the time, rather than the target of 75%. One engine with one crew isn’t adequate to begin lifesaving operations at serious rescue incidents.
A final decision on the county’s budget is expected in early February 2017.
