Firefighters could be killed if plans to cut the size of a fire crew are adopted, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned.
Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority will vote Wednesday (15 February) on whether to cut the number of firefighters in each fire crew, from five to four, in a desperate bid to save cash.
Steven Gould, secretary of the FBU in Hereford and Worcester, said: “It is astounding that the fire authority are willing to condemn their firefighters to working in much more dangerous circumstances.
“A crew of four not only puts firefighters at greater risk but also the public. You need five firefighters in a crew in order to carry out safety critical jobs. Anything less and it means we cannot properly prepare for either firefighting or rescue operations.
“There is a real possibility that a crew of four turn out to a house fire but cannot affect any rescues until backup arrives. They face a huge moral dilemma. Either break protocol and begin rescue operations without the right support, for which they increase the risk of being seriously injured themselves, or they wait for backup and hope the victims can hang on. In most cases the firefighters will step in but it is a very dangerous and hazardous way of working. There will be casualties as a result.
“It’s almost like the fire authority doesn’t value the safety of its firefighters.”
It is the second time Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority have tried to cut crew numbers. Their first attempt, in 2014, ended with an agreement to keep the five-strong fire crews which were to be funded from the service reserves. The FBU has pointed out that the fire service is still sitting on reserves in excess of £6.6m.
