A mainland fire crew were called to the Isle of Wight last weekend, while crews tackled a kitchen fire in Pan.
A crew from Newport and a crew from Cowes were called to Royal Exchange, leaving the Island without any fire engines on standby.
A pump from Hampshire was sent to the Island to provide cover.
Concern of level of staffing
Chair of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), Pete Mawhood, said he was very concerned about the levels of staffing on the Island.
Last month it was announced seven firefighters have had their temporary contracts terminated, with fire crews across the Island boycotting a training exercise in East Cowes in a show of solidarity.
FBU: “Seems to be getting worse”
Mr Mawhood said:
“It’s very concerning when there are not many appliances on the run and it seems to be getting worse.
“If the appliances are not on the run, it means they can’t be sent to fire calls. There is always a risk when we do not have appliances available.”
Mr Mawhood said there were only two full time appliances available at the weekend and retained crews were often unavailable:
“We can never guarantee retained crews will be available.”
The Isle of Wight Council has been contacted for comment.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some additions by OnTheWight. Ed
