‘Brutal austerity’ leads to firefighters rallying against 'dangerous' job cuts which could push the service to critical failure
‘Brutal austerity’ has pushed firefighters to the brink, prompting them to rally outside a fire authority meeting against what they say are further ‘dangerous cuts’.
As fire service leaders plan to cut 30 jobs, firefighters are preparing to rally outside the fire service’s HQ meeting tomorrow morning as they urge councillors to scrap the ‘dangerous’ layoffs.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Service has lost almost one in four firefighters since 2010 with the Fire Brigades Union saying the service is ‘severely overstretched and under-resourced’.
The rally, which will take place outside the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service HQ at 9am, comes as service leaders propose to not only reduce the work force but also slash the frontline budget by a further £1.6m.
Mark Chapman, Fire Brigades Union regional secretary for the Southern region said: “Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire authority and chief fire office must put public safety first and stop these dangerous cuts.
“The service is in desperate need of investment after fifteen years of brutal austerity, having already lost nearly 1 in 4 firefighter posts to cut – a staggering reduction.
“Instead, fire service leaders are planning a £1.6 million cut. This threatens to push a service already on its knees to the point of critical failure.
Over 500 people signed an online petition calling for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Authority and the chief fire officer to put a stop to the cuts.
Rob Cole, Assistant Chief Fire Officer said: “Our priority will always be the safety of our communities and of our firefighters. In developing our proposals for change we have carefully reviewed our community risk levels against our resources.
“HIWFRS is facing financial challenges. The costs of delivering our services have outpaced the funding we receive. Without an increase in government funding, fire and rescue services have no choice but to find ways to make savings, but we will always seek to do that in a way that ensures we can continue to reduce risk and respond to emergencies as quickly and as effectively as we can.
“We welcome views on the proposed changes and are engaging with our firefighters, staff and the unions on all our proposals.
“We also have a public consultation underway in relation to the changes for the Isle of Wight.”