A new report into the state of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service largely ignores indications that austerity is taking a toll on the service, the local Fire Brigades Union has claimed.
HMICFRS has statutory responsibility for the inspection of fire and rescue services and police forces across the country, and it is their report into the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service which has been released today.
Ed Burrows, FBU regional secretary for the North West, said that:
“This report may seek to paint a rosy picture, but our members on the ground are telling us a very different story – of increased response times, firefighter shortages, and struggles to provide basic functions.
“This sentiment is backed up by fact. For example, response times for almost every type of fire in the area have shot up since 2010, and Merseyside firefighter numbers have been cut by more than one in five since that same point.
“We do not need to look far for the cause of these difficulties: we have seen steep budget cuts that have not been reversed. Between 2013 and 2020 fire and rescue services saw their real-terms spending cut by 38%. You cannot take millions out of fire and rescue services and expect them to be able to provide the same service.
Additionally, it is extremely concerning that the service has been assessed as requiring improvement when it comes to fairness and diversity. Of particular concern is the fact that the report found that not all staff have received equalities training.”
N.b. firefighters defined in the job cuts statistics as including wholetime, retained and control staff.
You can access the report here: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/frs-assessment-2021-22-merseyside/.
More info on statistics used in press release on cuts to fire and rescue budgets: https://www.fbu.org.uk/news/2020/04/27/brutal-cuts-fire-and-rescue-services-being-rushed-through-during-pandemic-union.
More info on statistics used in press release on response times [Table FIRE 1001]: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables#response-times
More info on statistics used in press release on cuts to firefighters: https://www.fbu.org.uk/news/2021/10/05/new-job-cut-figures-firefighters-might-not-be-able-fight-all-fires.
