Fire services on verge of 'failure' says union

Fire services across the south are on the verge of "failure", a union boss has warned.

Mark Chapman, from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), said changes to services in the region were putting both the public and firefighters at risk.

He made the comments as Oxfordshire residents are being consulted on proposed changes to their fire service, including potential station closures.

The Government said it would work to ensure services have the resources they need and that standalone fire and rescue authorities would see an increase in funding.

Chapman, who is regional secretary of the FBU's southern branch, said years of funding reductions had led to fewer resources to respond to emergencies.

He said: "Since 2010, we've seen a stripping back of the central government funding for the fire and rescue service. We have seen a degradation in the number of firefighters, fire engines and fire stations, with many closed or removed from the frontline.

"As a consequence, the fire and rescue service both locally and nationally is over-stretched, under-resourced and under pressure. It's my view that we're right at the very verge of a critical point of failure where we will no longer be able to respond to all incidents at the same time."

Chapman said the impact of cuts was already being felt during incidents, pointing to a fire at the Cygnet Hotel in Sandown on the Isle of Wight last year.

The service was initially unable to send the usual three fire engines due to limited availability on the island, instead deploying two and leaving just two engines to cover the rest of the Isle of Wight while additional resources were sought from the mainland.

Chapman said similar pressures were being felt across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

He said that in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, 16 firefighters had been removed from the frontline in the past year, two fire stations in Bembridge and Yarmouth had closed, and three specialist rescue support vehicles were expected to be withdrawn.

Recent data obtained by the BBC showed that a rural fire station in Hampshire was unavailable to attend callouts 93% of the time over a one-year period.

Berkshire's outgoing fire chief said he is worried about the level of funding the service is receiving.

Wayne Bowcock, who has led the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service since 2021, said it was struggling to invest in the areas it needed to after delivering £2.4m of cuts over the last 10 years.

The FBU said attendance times for fire crews in England are now three-and-a-half minutes slower than they were in the 1990s, based on freedom of information requests to the government.

The union has also cited figures showing a 20–21% rise in fire-related deaths, which it believes is linked to slower response times and reduced resources.

Chapman's concerns were echoed by Dave Roberts, the FBU's regional secretary for the south west.

He said cuts in Dorset and Wiltshire in recent years had led to the removal of second appliances from some stations, and warned that an upcoming consultation on proposals to close up to eight retained stations could worsen the situation.

In August last year a wildfire at Holt Heath near Wimborne required crews from 17 stations across the country to help bring it under control.

Roberts said people pay for the fire service through their council tax and should expect a service that was fit for purpose.

He continued: "Nobody wants to call 999, but when you do you should know you're getting an immediate and effective response."

The FBU has called for sustained investment in fire and rescue services, including the recruitment of 5,000 additional firefighters to help reverse losses from the frontline.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We continue to work closely with fire and rescue services to ensure they have the resources they need.

"To support their services and tireless work in keeping communities safe, standalone fire and rescue authorities will receive an increase of almost £70 million in 2025/26."

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