Concern for resident and firefighter safety in Portsmouth as station left with 'unsafe' staff levels over weekend

The Hampshire Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has called for action following 'unsafe levels' of firefighters working at Southsea Fire Station on Remembrance Sunday.

Due to a combination of sickness and annual leave the station had seven staff on duty - less than the 'ideal' 12 required to run two trucks, a small fires vehicle and aerial ladder platform.

Mark Chapman, brigade chair of Hampshire FBU, believed the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service needed to backfill the gaps with bank staff or overtime.

He said: 'Yet again Hampshire sees unsafe levels of firefighters across the county as the service repeatedly fails to exhaust all measures available to prevent unsafe levels of response in its most populated areas.

'Southsea Fire Station was reduced to just seven firefighters on Remembrance Sunday, during one of its busiest weekends following Guy Fawkes night.

'Hampshire Fire and Rescue has the option to backfill shortfalls in crewing through overtime but has repeatedly chosen not to use this option.

'The service is now ignoring that an attendance is not the same as a meaningful intervention and only have regard for stopping the clock rather than prioritise firefighters' ability to save lives.'

He added that this could lead to delays in attending to an incident such as a fire in a high rise building, which requires a minimum of five fire engines.

It comes following concerns raised last month by from Portsmouth City Council over cuts made to the service starting in 2016, which left Southsea station with 64 crew members - compared to 80 four years previously.

SEE ALSO: Fire service hits back over claims residents and firefighters are 'at risk’

However, a spokeswoman for the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said the service 'considers several options' to manage crewing shortfalls.

'We consider a number of factors when deciding the best course of action, including current availability, the location of operational cover, whether there are any ongoing incidents, and the necessary skillset required.

'The safety of our crews is paramount to us and we ensure they are suitably trained and equipped for any occasion. We have sufficient resources to respond to incidents across the county and have plans in place to respond when necessary.

'Our safety plan sets out our strategic assessment of risk and how we deliver public value in the way we manage our resources throughout Hampshire.'

As previously reported, Chief Fire Officer for Hampshire, Neil Odin, wrote to Portsmouth City Council last week and reported that response times in the county had not 'deteriorated.'

During a full council meeting today (Nov 10) Cllr Jason Fazackarley, the council's representative on the Hampshire Fire Authority, confirmed he would meet Mr Odin to discuss his response and relay any concerns back to the council.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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