THE public are being asked to join protests against fire service cuts amid claims that lives will be put at risk.
Phil Jordan, regional chairman of the Fire Brigades Union, told Taunton and West Somerset Trades Council a cut in the number of full-time firefighters and on call engines at Taunton Station was “a risk we can’t afford to take”.
A trades council spokesman said: “This isn’t just about opposing cuts. It’s about fighting to save our fire service.
“We don’t know how politicians will sleep at night if they go ahead with this knowing people who’d otherwise have been rescued will die a horrific death because they can’t be reached in time.”
The spokesman said the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is already “stretched to the limit”, and appealed to people to contact their MPs and councillors, and respond to a consultation which lasts until April 22.
Chief fire officer Lee Howell has said the cuts would not compromise safety.
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