Skip to main content
Fire response time ‘longer due to cuts’
BBC investigation shows two-thirds of brigades have worsened

RESPONSE times across the country have gone up because of fire service cuts, a new investigation has found.

Two-thirds of fire and rescue services across England and Wales take longer to respond to emergencies than they did a year ago, new figures obtained by the BBC suggest.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU), which has campaigned strongly against government cuts to brigades, has said that longer response times have led to an increase in the number of fire deaths.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
CLIMATE CHANGE: Firefighters tackle a wildfire on Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester, June 2018
TUC Congress 2025 / 8 September 2025
8 September 2025

Since 2010, one in five firefighter jobs has disappeared alongside 30% funding cuts — all while climate breakdown brings record blazes and flooding. It’s time to fund our fire service properly, writes FBU general secretary STEVE WRIGHT