The Isle of Wight had just 3 fire engines available at points over the weekend, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) has confirmed – with mainland appliances brought over to bolster fire cover.
It follows social media claims that on Sunday afternoon, only 23 out of the service’s 80 fire appliances were available across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, prompting an urgent call for firefighters to help get pumps back on the run.
Concerns have also been raised about low availability on the Island the previous day, including when crews attended a ‘persons reported’ fire at the former Parkbury Hotel in Sandown.
In response to an enquiry from Island Echo, HIWFRS has said that over the weekend of 9th/10th August, several Hampshire appliances were committed to tackling major heath fires in Dorset, where a major incident had been declared, reducing the number available elsewhere.
On the Isle of Wight, just 3 fire engines were available at certain points on both Saturday and Sunday. To ensure cover, HIWFRS moved 2 pumps from the mainland – from Southsea and Hardley – across the Solent.
It was the first ever deployment to the Island for the crew from Hardley, travelling across on Wightlink’s Lymington–Yarmouth route.
A spokesperson for HIWFRS has said:
“The number of appliances available across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight fluctuates continually every day, throughout the day and night, due to crew availability and resources being allocated to incidents.
Article continues below this advertisement “During periods of reduced availability being forecast we will immediately put in place measures such as recalling people to duty to get appliances back on the run and moving some appliances to be on standby in locations other than their base station.
“We are acutely aware of the specific needs of the Island and at the weekend one of the measures we took was moving two pumps over to the Island to provide additional cover.”
The low availability comes at a time of growing public concern over proposed cuts to the fire service on the Isle of Wight. HIWFRS is currently consulting on plans to permanently close Bembridge and Yarmouth fire stations, as well as removing 1 of 2 Aerial Ladder Platforms from the Island.
HIWFRS that it continues to recruit on-call firefighters across the Isle of Wight, who are paid retainers and additional payments for responding to emergencies and training. More information can be found at www.hantsfire.gov.uk.
These shortages need to be addressed but it also makes it critical that those resources which are available are effectively and efficiently deployed
Relying on retained firefighters in this day and age where Thatcher’s ‘no such thing as society’ legacy has come home to roost, is negligent. They must be prepared to pay more full-timers.
Build a Bridge or Tunnel and then we can use
Pompey and Soton engines, they could be over to
the island in a flash.