LONDON — Fire officials are now warning that further budget cuts could pose a risk to community safety after figures revealed the biggest increase in fire deaths for a decade.
The Guardian reported that the latest figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show that 294 people died in fires in England during 2015, an increase of 21 percent compared with the 242 deaths recorded in 2014. Fire officials said the rise is worrying as the fire service faces budget cuts of up to 50 percent by 2020.
Fire officials from the country’s largest cities — Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle — are urging national leaders not to move forward with the planned cuts.
“The budget cuts have seen the loss of frontline firefighters, response times getting longer, stations closing and fire prevention measures reduced too,” the Association of Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Authorities said in a statement.
Adding to the tension is talk of placing fire and ambulance services under police control. Officials have denied that the measure will amount to a police takeover of fire and rescue services, saying officers will not be used as firefighters and firefighters will not be given police powers, according to the report.
Mike Penning, the police and fire minister, said the decision on whether police will take control of fire and rescue services will be the result of local negotiation.