Yorkshire has 1,150 firefighters less than a decade ago

Yorkshire has 1,150 firefighters less than the county had a decade ago, startling new figures have revealed.
Yorkshire has 1,150 firefighters less than the county had a decade ago, startling new figures have revealed.Yorkshire has 1,150 firefighters less than the county had a decade ago, startling new figures have revealed.
Yorkshire has 1,150 firefighters less than the county had a decade ago, startling new figures have revealed.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been the hardest hit due to Government cuts, losing 594 firefighters since 2010, numbers released by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) show.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has lost a total of 255 firefighters, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service 188 and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service 113.

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Despite the fall in the last 10 years, both South Yorkshire and Humberside have seen a rise in the number of firefighters in the last 12 months.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has an additional 22 firefighters, while Humberside has an extra 20.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service however saw a fall of 16 firefighters, while West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service decreased by seven.

Across the country, firefighter posts increased by just 318, meaning there are still nearly 11,500 fewer UK firefighters than in 2010.

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Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary said: “Fire and rescue services are in crisis after years of brutal cuts - and this year’s measly increase in posts is wholly insufficient to plug the gaps.

“We cannot allow firefighters’ life-saving work to go unrecognised. The Chancellor must fund firefighter recruitment and end the years of real-term pay cuts for fighters.

“Our communities need more firefighters - and the Government needs to reflect the work they do in their pay cheques.”

In response, the Home Office has said fire and rescue services have the resources they need and that it is for each authority to determine the operational services required to deliver services to their communities.