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WRITE TO YOUR MP

Cuts kill: protect and invest in the fire service

I am writing to you as your constituent to urge you to take action on the crisis facing the UK fire and rescue service.

Over the past 14 years, the service has been hit by devastating cuts:

*   Nearly 12,000 frontline firefighter roles have been lost
*   82 fire stations and 17 control rooms have closed
*   More than 200 fire engines have been removed from the frontline in England

At the same time, the absence of national standards means the emergency response people receive when they call 999 depends on where they live. Across the board, response times have slowed: today, the first fire engine arrives at a fire on average 3 minutes later than it did in the 1990s. Delays, reduced crew sizes and fewer resources are putting lives at risk.

Demand on the fire service is only growing. Data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for the number of incidents attended by a fire and rescue service in 2025 shows a 25% increase over the past decade.

Central government funding has already been cut by 20% since 2010. The latest three-year financial settlement has failed to increase the amount of central government funding available for the fire and rescue service. As a result, fire and rescue services across the UK are facing huge budget deficits. Without urgent intervention, more frontline cuts will be inevitable, leaving communities across the UK less safe.

I ask you to support the following:

1.  Preventing further cuts to the fire and rescue service
2.  Urgent central government investment or the service
3.  Investing in frontline resources so firefighters can continue to keep communities safe
4.  Introducing national standards to guarantee a safe and reliable response, regardless of postcode

This is about ensuring public safety and protecting a vital emergency service. Please raise this issue in Parliament and press the government to address over a decade of underinvestment, to ensure services can keep communities safe now and in the future.