Fire crews 'lack vital flood kit'

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Fire crews are going without flood equipment like lifejackets, waterproofs and boots, one year on from the deluge of summer 2007, a study has claimed.

Firefighters rescued 7,000 people without basic safety kit, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) report found.

The FBU's Matt Wrack said: "We must not be put in that position again."

But the government said it had spent £200m on specialist equipment. The deluge claimed 13 lives and saw 44,600 homes flooded during summer 2007.

Yorkshire and the Humber, the Midlands and south west England were among the worst-hit areas.

'No excuse'

According to the report, firemen and women had to work in pitch black conditions without torches and lamps during the floods.

Crews were forced to use heavy kit designed for fires because of a lack of lifejackets and waterproofs. Poles to test the depth of water were often not available.

Despite the heavy rainfall, many firefighters suffered dehydration due to a lack of drinking water, the report added, and many had to sleep on floors still wearing their wet clothes.

If firefighters are to be sent to such incidents they have an unarguable right to do so with a reasonable degree of safety Matt WrackFBU

The situation would have been even more difficult had government plans to shut down 46 fire control centres gone ahead, the union argues.

Mr Wrack, the FBU's general secretary, said the union was proud of its members who were determined to protect their communities during the floods.

"We got on with the work last year without key safety equipment and not enough fire crews," he added.

"If firefighters are to be sent to such incidents they have an unarguable right to do so with a reasonable degree of safety.

"There is no excuse for the lack of safety critical guidance about equipment and training which is still putting the lives of fire crews at risk."

He said that crews were particularly angry about plans to close local emergency fire controls, which he insisted were a "critical link" with other emergency services during the floods.

'Money invested'

But fire minister Parmjit Dhanda said fire authorities were responsible for ensuring crews were properly equipped, and the government was committed to ensuring firefighters were properly resourced.

"We have already invested £200m in specialist equipment for national resilience," he said.

"The government is further investing in a new 999 fire and rescue nationally linked control centre network.

"At present the fire and rescue authorities in England run 46 separate control rooms relying on different technologies and operating procedures that cannot automatically back each other up."