The Fire Brigades Union says fire and rescue services are in desperate need of resources in the wake of Storm Bram flooding chaos this week.
Storm Bram brought 90mph winds, rain and flooding to parts of UK. The Met Office warned of danger to life in areas of Scotland. At the storm’s peak, there were more than 300 flood warnings or alerts across UK.
Firefighters protect communities from floods despite there being no statutory duty for fire and rescue services in England to respond, limiting funding.
The fire and rescue service responded to calls for rescues from floodwaters in regions including Devon and Cornwall, North Yorkshire and Western Scotland.
Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary said:
Storm Bram battered regions across the UK, causing widespread flooding, disruption, and a threat to life. During these storms, it’s firefighters rescuing people, saving lives and assisting in the aftermath.
It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the UK prepared to face these extreme weather events, and yet fire and rescue services remain woefully under-resourced. Fire services in England still do not even have a statutory duty to respond to floods.
The government must learn lessons from these storms and invest in the fire and rescue service, so that the UK is ready to face the increasing threat of floods.”
Mike Titchin, FBU brigade secretary for Cornwall said:
Cornwall is vulnerable to flooding and we’re coming under increased pressure with rising incidents and fewer resources. During Storm Bram, the teams working in the control room were inundated with calls and worked extremely hard to cover incidents across the county with limited resources.
Crews are facing these situations as a result of cuts – there simply aren’t enough firefighters. There should be adequate funding and resources so that we have the capacity to safely respond to flood related incidents, which will continue to increase with the impacts of climate change."
