Fire service says people across Lincolnshire are safe despite falling staff numbers
Figures from the Fire Brigade Union show a 13% drop in firefighters in the county over the past decade
Last updated 5th Oct 2021
We're being told people across Lincolnshire are safe, despite a huge drop in firefighter numbers.
As we revealed this morning, figures from the Fire Brigade Union show, over the past 11 years, the amount serving the county has dropped 13%.
But Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue say main stations have crews all the time, they're currently recruiting, and while there has been a drop in wholetime staff, on call numbers have actually gone up.
Chief Officer Mark Baxter said they can still cope with demand.
"We have had a reduction, however we've managed to do that in really innovative ways.
"We've been able to actually increase our wholetime stations by two by being being far more efficient with the people and resources that we've got.
"We've basically dispersed our operational crews to other areas within the county to ensure we've got a strategic location at nine places to guarantee a 24/7 response."