Concern firefighters in Wales 'can't fight all fires' as numbers fall

Figures have been released by the Fire Brigades Union

The data comes from a Freedom of Information request
Author: Lauren JonesPublished 5th Oct 2021

There's been a big drop in the number of firefighters in Wales over the past decade.

There are 450 fewer firefighter roles in Wales since 2010 and just over the past year 44 posts have gone.

Data has been released by the Fire Brigades Union after it submitted a Freedom of Information Request.

It's a similar picture across the UK with one in five jobs which were around 11 years ago - no longer existing.

The FBU calling for more investment saying a lack of funding is weakening day to day work in every single area and making people less safe.

Cerith Griffiths, the Fire Brigades Union’s Executive Council member for Wales, said that: “The public should be able to rely on the fire and rescue service to be able to deal with fires in their homes, with wildfires, with floods, with fires in their businesses and schools, but we cannot do that if we do not have the people to do it.

"That is particularly true when it comes to multiple large-scale incidents happening at the same time.

“I want to be clear: after years of devastating cuts to our fire and rescue service, and a further decline this year, there is a genuine chance that our fire and rescue service will not be able to adequately meet the challenges facing our communities.