By James Meikle
The Guardian
LONDON — Ministers should consider replacing the 46 local fire and rescue authorities in England with a single national organisation – as has happened in Scotland – according to a review of the £2.2bn-a-year emergency service.
Mergers, privatisation, staff-led mutual organisations, sharing of stations with police and ambulance “blue light” operations, and greater use of part-time, on-call firefighters are among other options floated by Sir Ken Knight, the country’s former chief fire and rescue adviser. He also said he would back a trial of whether police and crime commissioners could take responsibility for fire and rescue services in their areas.
Despite a 40% fall in calls to fires, road accidents, flooding and other emergencies in the past decade and deaths in accidental fires at home – 186 recorded in 2011/12 – being at an all-time low, spending and firefighter numbers remained broadly the same, says the government-commissioned report.
Full story: Fire rescue services in England should merge, report says