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BBC News
11 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Safety fears raised over Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire cuts
Proposed cuts of up to £1.6m to a fire and rescue service would "undermine safety" for both firefighters and the public, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) has proposed savings measures including reducing the number of fire engines and closing stations on the Isle of FBU has launched an online petition opposing the changes, with southern regional chairman Dave Hunt calling on the fire authority to "stop these cuts immediately".The service said it was facing "financial challenges" but would still respond to emergencies "as quickly and as effectively as we can". As part of the savings, less frequently used fire engines at four on-call stations - Romsey Waterlooville, Petersfield and Lymington - would be a new specialist rescue vehicle and fire vehicle would lead to a reduction of 20 staff at Cosham and Redbridge stations, although there will be no redundancies, HIWFRS month it unveiled plans to combine Yarmouth and Freshwater fire stations, which would mean two fire engines could operate in the west of the Isle of are also proposals to stop operational responses from Bembridge fire Isle of Wight plans are open to public consultation until the end of Cole, assistant chief fire officer, said in developing its savings proposals, the service had "carefully reviewed our community risk levels against our resources".He said: "The costs of delivering our services have outpaced the funding we receive. "Without an increase in government funding, fire and rescue services have no choice but to find ways to make savings, but we will always seek to do that in a way that ensures we can continue to reduce risk and respond to emergencies as quickly and as effectively as we can." 'Increase response times' The National Fire Chiefs Council recently criticised "prolonged disinvestment in fire and rescue services over many years".Many fire services also faced a shortfall in funding after the government failed to give them the same level of compensation for tax increases as the police, BBC research a meeting of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Authority, Mr Hunt said the service was already "losing resilience"."If implemented, these cuts will increase response times," he said."Ultimately we're undermining both public and firefighter safety - as firefighters, we need to know we have the right number of people when we turn up."He called for a "full and detailed review" of HIWFRS' current work and roles and said the service should "put safety first and stop these cuts".The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said fire and rescue Authorities have received almost £3bn in the last financial year."We understand the challenges that fire services are facing, and despite the inheritance this government has been left with, we are determined to deliver better public services through our Plan for Change," it added. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue making 'significant progress'
North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (NYFRS) has made "significant progress" in improving since a highly critical report three years ago, a watchdog has said. The service was rated inadequate in 2022 by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) after it had "deteriorated in most areas" and required urgent an inspection in December 2024 and January 2025, the fire service was rated "good" in six areas and "adequate" in five Dyson, chief fire officer, welcomed the findings and said the results were a "testament to the hard work, professionalism and dedication" of staff. The HMICFRS report found NYFRS to be good at understanding fire and other risks, preventing incidents and responding to inspectorate also said the service had regular reviews to consider its expenditure, helping to ensure "value for money". 'Must go further' HMICFRS inspector Michelle Skeer said: "We were pleased to see that the service has made significant progress since our 2022 inspection, with improvements being made in most areas. "I would like to commend the strategic leadership team and all staff across the service for their willingness to change and their continued commitment to improvement."Mr Dyson said recent investment would enable them to build on their achievements and progress with equipment and training. "We're already making headway on improvements in the areas where we have received 'adequate' gradings to further ensure we are a high quality and community-focused service," he Skaith, the county's elected mayor, said: "I am very proud of the progress made in such a short space of time but we must go further. "We will continue to work with NYFRS, and hold them to account, as they continue to make the improvements I and the public expect them to make." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Sandhurst fatal house fire chemicals removal ongoing
Work to remove a quantity of potentially hazardous chemicals found at a house where a man died following a fire is ongoing, police has man, in his 80s, died in hospital after the blaze, described by the fire service as a "flash fire", on Oak Avenue, Sandhurst, Berkshire, on 6 days later, during searches at the home, police found a decommissioned mortar and potentially flammable and hazardous Valley Police said teams wearing specialist, protective clothing "in case of any spillage of chemicals which are all currently contained" were still working to clear them and make the house safe. The force said: "This is precautionary and we have not identified any immediate risk to health."This work may take some time to complete and we would like to thank the residents for their patience while we continue to make the property safe."It added there was currently no need for evacuation of any neighbouring properties, "however, this will be continually assessed".The decommissioned mortar found was safely destroyed by specialist man's death is being investigated as unexplained but there is no ongoing criminal investigation and the coroner had been informed, Thames Valley Police said. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
