West Midlands Fire chiefs: Cash cuts leave service at 'tipping point'
West Midlands fire chiefs have issued a stark warning to MPs that the service is at ‘tipping point’ as cash cuts bite deeper into their resources.
They forecast that engine response times and vital prevention and protection work could be at risk if changes are not made to the current funding system.
Phil Loach, the region’s Chief Fire Officer, and Councillor John Edwards, chair of the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority, spelled out the dangers during a meeting with prominent MPs at Westminster.
They predicted people would have to wait longer for fire crews to arrive in an emergency and that important services such as community-based prevention work with vulnerable people, including the elderly and schoolchildren, would have to be cut.
Express & Star Comment: Worries of fire service are serious
They said there would also be less fire safety work with West Midlands businesses and this was likely to result in more fires.
Mr Loach said that, while West Midlands Fire Service still provided excellent prevention, protection and response services, reductions in funding and staffing numbers were causing increasing concern.
He explained: “The money we get from the Government dropped by £28 million between 2011/12 and 2015/16. We are expecting further cuts of £10m by 2020.
“The public need total confidence in their fire service to be able to deliver. It’s essential that fire and rescue services are resilient, adequately resourced and can respond quickly to a range of emergencies. This all needs to be based on risk, not demand.
“The fire authority chair and I are keen to work with the Government to establish and implement sustainable funding mechanisms.”
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Councillor Edwards said: “The latest figures from the Government itself expose the impact of unprecedented cuts on the fire and rescue services nationwide.
“Thousands fewer firefighters mean less prevention and protection work and a negative impact on response times.”
The service has made changes in the way it works in a bid to shield frontline fire fighting from the effects of funding cuts.
Two trainee firefighter courses have been run this year and another is due in January as they attempt to recruit 90 new firefighters by April next year.
Mr Loach also called for the Government to introduce more flexible funding and do away with the need for a costly referenda if the Fire and Rescue Authorities want to increase Council Tax charges by more than two per cent.
He argued that the bill picked up by taxpayers to stage the vote would be disproportionate to the potential additional income.
Fire and rescue services will find out what their grants will be in mid-December.
