Guardian analysis of publicly available data shows that the total number of firefighters in 46 English fire authorities has fallen by 20.4% since 2010, with 35,279 in 2021 compared to 44,307 in 2010, representing full-time and on-call firefighters. Other official figures reveal cuts in budgets as well as the number of staffed stations in the country. The risk of underfunding the fire service in the face of climate catastrophe has never been more acute, as the second heat wave of this summer once again threatens wildfires across the country. The previous heat wave, in July, saw firefighters called to several blazes, including one in Wennington, east London, where two terraced houses were destroyed. Firefighters in England The data is worrying in light of warnings that heatwaves and drier summers will become more common due to the effect of a warmer planet. Looking at individual authorities, West Yorkshire, Northumberland and Staffordshire have all seen people fall by more than a third since 2010. Data collected by the Local Government Association (LGA) shows that the number of staffed fire stations in England has fallen from 1,432 in 2009/2010 to 1,393 in 2019/2020. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The Fire Brigades Union’s (FBU) analysis of local government funding of fire and rescue services in England revealed a reduction of £139.7m or 14% between 2016/17 and 2021/22. Some fire and rescue services have seen their government funding cut by more than 40%, with individual brigades losing up to £22 million. Firefighters in West Yorkshire FBU analysis reveals that from 2016/17 to 2021/22, four saw their funding cut by more than a third. West Sussex has lost £4.3m or 43.9%. Warwickshire £2.9m or 40.8%; Oxfordshire £3.2m or 38.2%; and Surrey £6.1m or 34.3%. London’s fire service saw the biggest cut in cash terms, losing £22.1m or 9.5% of its funding. Andy Darke, assistant general secretary of the FBU, said: “Just a fortnight ago firefighters had to deal with a number of serious fires across much of the country. Several firefighters were injured and many people lost their homes. “Heat heat has been on the government’s National Hazard Register since its first iteration in 2008. Fire as a national hazard was added to the register in 2013.” He continued: “The understaffing was so bad that during the last fire season almost all fire and rescue services in the worst affected areas had to call in off-duty firefighters and ask them to do extra shifts. “If we are to properly protect life and property from fires, the fire service urgently needs massive investment.”
