There were just 4 fire appliances ready to respond to an emergency anywhere on the Isle of Wight for a time on Wednesday afternoon, the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed.
Out of 10 stations and 12 appliances, just 4 were ‘on the run’ at 14:00 on Wednesday 14th November. This means if a ‘persons reported’ house fire came in, which prompts a 3 pump response, there would have been just 1 other fire engine to attend another incident taking place at the same time.
The worrying confirmation highlights the potential situation the Island could face itself in. What happens in the case of 2 such fires happening at the same time is unclear…although no doubt Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service would be drafted in, as previously witnessed.
Although the availability for 4 pumps was short lived, the situation wasn’t much better for most of the day. Just 5 appliances were available at 10:00, 12:00 and 16:00, rising to 9 pumps at 18:00.
A breakdown of the availability of appliances across the Isle of Wight shows that there is a significant change over a 24 hour period, going from 11 pumps at midnight to just 6 at 08:00. This is no doubt due to retained firefighters booking themselves as unavailable as they head to work.
This week it was revealed that 7 firefighters will not have their temporary contracts renewed at the end of the year. However, the fire service say this will not result in a reduction of the number of appliances available.
Last week Island Echo reported that up to 16 firefighters have been taken off the run after failing stringent fitness tests.
Availability of Fire Appliances on the Isle of Wight – Wednesday 14th November
Midnight:- 11 pumps
02:00: 11 pumps
04:00: 11 Pumps
06:00: 11 pumps
08:00: 6 pumps
10:00: 5 pumps
12:00: 5 pumps
14:00: 4 pumps
16:00: 5 pumps
18:00: 9 pumps
20:00: 7 pumps
22:00: 8 pumps
Midnight: 11 pumps
