The Fire Brigades Union and concerned members of the public are calling on Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire authority to defer £1.6 million of proposed frontline cuts to the fire service at its meeting this Friday.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) has already lost one in four firefighters since 2010, and recent inspections reveal the service is struggling to meet its own emergency response standards. The latest HMICFRS report rated the service as inadequate in staffing and skills, requiring improvement in emergency response and resource management.
On Sunday, 24 August, the service entered its degradation plan, operating with just 19 fire appliances across the region—only three on the Isle of Wight. A day later, a tragic helicopter crash near Shanklin claimed three lives and left one critically injured. The service responded effectively, but had the incident occurred just 24 hours earlier, there may have been no available response on the island.
Despite these challenges, HIWFRS holds £23.9 million in usable reserves. The FBU is urging it to use these funds to plug the gap while it campaigns for more funding from central government. The service is yet to make a formal appeal to central government.
Jamie Kelly, Fire Brigades Union brigade secretary for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, said:
“This decision does not need to be rushed. The Fire Authority has the power to defer these cuts, use reserves temporarily, and fight for the funding our communities deserve. Once frontline services are cut, they are rarely restored. We must act now to protect lives.
“We urge the public to contact their local Fire Authority representatives and demand a deferral of the proposed cuts. A united voice can help preserve this vital life-saving service.”
Mark Chapman, Fire Brigades Union regional secretary for Southern, said:
“Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire and rescue service is on the edge of critical failure if these proposed cuts go through.
“The service is seeking to make £2.5m cuts over the next two years. That would mean losing dozens more firefighter posts. We are already on our knees after 15 years of austerity – there’s nothing left to give.
“Tragically, on Monday the Isle of Wight saw a helicopter crash which sadly claimed three lives and left another person critically injured. The fire service was able to respond, but if this incident had happened one day beforehand, we would have been left without fire cover on the island.
“Our ask of the fire authority on Friday is simple: don’t make these cuts. The service has a reserve of £23m – and this is an emergency. They must use that reserve to cover the shortfall while we fight for better funding from central government.”
