Protests in the UK about cutting on-call crew sizes down to three: "Dangerous" says Fire Brigades Union

"Sooner or later, this policy will end in tragedy"

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has recently cut on-call firefighters to three per crew, despite recommendations of five firefighters in situations where lives are at risk.

According to a recent BBC-article, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said "sooner or later, this policy will end in tragedy". Assistant fire chief Jon Anderson at the county said "recruitment challenges" have forced the change in policy. 

According to a statement from FBU, on January 1st 2023, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has cut the number of on-call firefighters attending incidents in Cambridgeshire to three per crew. A minimum number of five firefighters are recommended to respond to incidents where lives are at risk. 

On October 4th, the Firefighters Union (FBU) held a demonstration outside a meeting of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority, which oversees the running of the county fire service.

The demonstrators claimed the the change was putting "lives at risk".

According to FBU, a crew of three in a fire engine would consist of one driver, one officer overseeing operations, and just one more crew member. Firefighters in the county, however,  are trained as crews of four or five. Roles are assigned according to the numbers within these larger teams.

Callum Hodgkin, FBU organiser, said: "Fires can change quickly. With a crew of three, you aren't equipped safely tackle a serious incident like a house fire - you must wait for another crew to arrive.

"CFRS argues that smaller crews will mean that fire engines arrive at incidents ‘several minutes faster’. However, there is no evidence that this reduces response times since a crew of three must wait for additional crews to arrive to tackle a serious incident", says the statement from the Union. 

More quotes from the FBU:

Mark Harriss, FBU Cambridgeshire brigade secretary said: 

Every second counts in an emergency, and fires can escalate quickly. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is putting lives at risk by sending out crews who are unable to rescue people safely.

If your house is on fire, you expect a fire engine to be able to help. You don’t expect three firefighters to arrive and wait for back-up.

The service is cutting our crews because we’re facing a crisis in recruitment and retention. Making the job far more dangerous and stressful will only make this worse. Fire service employers must put a stop to this dangerous practice and staff our service properly.” 

Callum Hodgkin, FBU Cambridgeshire brigade organiser:   

Firefighters sign up to protect people’s homes and save lives, not to watch buildings burn. 

Fires can change quickly, so you never know what an incident is like until you arrive at the scene. With a crew of three, you aren’t equipped to safely tackle a serious incident like a house fire. You must wait for another crew to arrive.  

Firefighters in these crews face an impossible choice: wait outside a burning house or risk their jobs and lives by going in. We are proud to serve our communities and feel a moral duty to save lives.  Sooner or later, this policy will end in tragedy. No firefighter should ever be put in this position.”