Hampshire firefighters are 'struggling' through 'unbearable' heat to keep the county safe, union bosses warn

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said firefighters have been pushed to breaking point, dealing with blazes during this week’s blistering heatwave.

The plea comes after a serious grass fire off Fort Road, Gosport, yesterday, which saw about 100 firefighters from across Hampshire battling for about seven hours to extinguish the blaze.

The devastating inferno scorched a 300ft by 300ft area, with smoke from the fire being seen across parts of Portsmouth, Gosport and Fareham.

Teams from Gosport, Cosham, Bordon, Havant, Hamble, Southsea, Eastleigh, Droxford, Bishop’s Waltham, St Mary’s, Ringwood, Beaulieu, Romsey, Alton, Fareham, Alresford, and Botley were involved in tackling the blaze.

Meanwhile, at the same time, crews from Portchester and Fareham were dealing with two buildings ‘well alight’ in Titchfield last night.

Veteran firefighter Mark Chapman, regional secretary Hampshire’s Fire Brigades Union, said firefighters have been immensely busy.

‘In Hampshire they have really struggled due to the volume of calls and unbearably hot working conditions,’ he told The News.

His comments came as 15 fire and rescue services across the UK declared major emergencies this week, with most centred in Yorkshire, the midlands and around London.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, warned firefighters have had their numbers slashed to such a point, it is affecting response time, with bosses at some fire services having to ask people to give up their leave to plug the staff shortages.

He said: ‘Firefighters are at the forefront of the climate emergency. The demands of the job are increasing but our resources have been under attack by government cuts for over a decade. 11,500 firefighter jobs have been slashed since 2010.

‘We have warned of the growing threat for years but our concerns have fallen on deaf ears. The brutal truth is that government ministers and chief fire officers have ignored the warning signs which have been obvious for all to see. They are guilty of criminal complacency.

‘The stark reality is that frontline firefighters and local communities have been let down by a combined failure of chief fire officers and politicians to face up to the scale of the challenge.’