Campaign

WRITE TO YOUR MP

Cuts kill - sign the EDM calling for investment in the fire and rescue service

I am writing to you as your constituent to ask for your support for urgent investment in the UK fire and rescue service.

When a member of the public calls 999 and asks for the fire service, they expect a fully crewed fire engine to arrive quickly at the incident. But reality on the ground is failing to live up to expectations.

Chronic underfunding has hollowed out the fire and rescue service, leaving communities without adequate fire cover. Since 2010, 12,000 firefighter jobs have been cut, leading to fire engines arriving at emergencies without enough crew on board to respond to them safely.

Station closures and removing fire engines from the frontline has resulted in crews having to travel from further away, leading to longer response times. In an emergency where lives are on the line, every second counts.

This situation is set to worsen. Fire services across the UK are facing huge budget deficits over the next three years, forcing them to contemplate more cuts to the frontline. Some fire and rescue services are already consulting on inconceivable reductions in the number of jobs, stations, and fire engines, which will only further undermine resilience.

Firefighters have a clear message: cuts kill. Unless we stop this fresh round of cuts in its tracks, and reverse years of underinvestment, public safety will be put at even greater risk.

An Early Day Motion has been tabled calling for an end to further reductions in fire and rescue services and urging sustained, meaningful funding from central government. I am asking you as my MP to sign it in support of our local fire service and to demand the investment needed to keep our community safe.

You can read the motion text for EDM 2839: Investment needed in the UK Fire and Rescue Services at the following link: [https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/65258/funding-for-fire-and-rescue-services](https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/65258/funding-for-fire-and-rescue-services)

You can find out more about the Cuts Kill campaign and the fire services already facing further cuts at [www.fbu.org.uk/campaigns/cuts-kill](http://www.fbu.org.uk/campaigns/cuts-kill).

I look forward to hearing from you on this urgent matter.