The Westminster government intends to cut it's funding to the fire and rescue service by 20% during the course of this parliament. In the last parliament they cut it by 30%.
As a result 11,000 frontline firefighter jobs have gone since 2010 - that is one in six. Stations, appliances and equipment have also been cut.
Firefighters provide an all hazard emergency response attending floods, road traffic collisions, chemical spillages, civil contingencies, industrial disasters and terrorist attacks as well as fires.
Discussions are ongoing about what further work firefighters can do in the future, as the risks to our communities change.
Yet the government is still driving ahead with its unfeasible austerity policies.
Cutting a service that is doing some much more makes no sense. The fire service costs each of us just £50 per year. That’s amazing value for a professional lifesaving service – don’t let their agenda wreck it.