Covid: Omicron putting pressure on fire station staffing, union says

Staff had to be brought from other fire stations to provide cover at Gosport, the FBU said

Covid is putting pressure on staffing levels in fire stations throughout Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has claimed.

The union said external crews had to be brought in when Gosport Fire Station had no rostered firefighters available on 28 December.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) said 64 of its firefighters were off with Covid or self-isolating.

It insisted it had "robust contingency plans" for staff absence.

The union said "numerous" stations in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight were so short-staffed on 28 December that up to three engines were unavailable for use, as minimum staff levels to operate them were not met.

The union has not yet said how many firefighters were unavailable at Gosport on that date.

Regional secretary Mark Chapman said: "The service is at an absolutely threadbare level of cover.

"As Omicron takes grip across the country that's something we'll continue to see in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and more widely.

"That's because the government has cut the fire and rescue service to its bare bones."

HFRS said, as of 3 January, it had 64 firefighters off with Covid or self-isolating, which represents 4.4% of the workforce.

'Adequate resources'

It insisted Gosport Fire Station was "fully crewed" on 28 December, with personnel brought in under contingency plans.

It added the issues there were due to long and short-term sickness, but were not directly Covid-related.

Assistant director of operations, Kevin Evenett, said: "Like all emergency services, we have robust contingency plans in place to cover staff absences and keep those plans under review to make sure we can continue to respond when needed.

"All colleagues have been reminded about the importance of protecting themselves and others from Covid-19 and this includes wearing face masks, practicing social distancing where possible, using lateral flow tests, and isolating when necessary."

The Home Office said it had ensured fire and rescue services, including Hampshire, had "adequate resources" to cope with Covid pressures and services with absentee levels hitting 25% would trigger additional support from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).

"It is standard practice for staff to move between fire stations to ensure appropriate cover.

"Firefighters work tirelessly every day to protect our communities, which is why we are investing around £2.3 billion in fire and rescue authorities for them to do their important work," it added.

Under current rules, people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have Covid have to self-isolate for at least seven days.