RESIDENTS across the West Somerset and Wellington areas are being urged support a Fire Brigades Union (FBU) campaign against cuts in fire services.

FBU general secretary Steve Wright said: “Cuts to public services come at a cost.

“In the fire service, they cost lives, homes, and businesses.

“More than a decade of political decisions to strip away central Government funding has left our fire and rescue service at breaking point.

“Stations and fire control rooms are understaffed.

“Firefighters and fire control workers are overstretched.

“Response times have slowed.

“Communities are left without the protection they need.

“Despite this, political leaders are continuing to underfund the fire service.

“This means more cuts are on the horizon.

“Some fire services have already started consulting on plans to close fire stations, remove fire engines, and cut firefighters from the frontline.

“Others are looking at their budgets over the next three years and starting to make decisions about where to cut the fat.

“But there is no more fat to cut.

“It is time to put an end to cuts to the fire service, once and for all.”

The FBU has launched a ‘Cuts Kill’ campaign, calling on politicians to ‘step up, stop the cuts, and invest in the fire service’.

Mr Wright said: “They have the power to fix this.

“And we have the power to make them sit up and listen.

“Our strength lies in people like you standing up and taking action.

“An Early Day Motion has been tabled demanding a halt to cuts, and proper funding for the fire and rescue service.

“The more MPs who add their name, the harder it becomes for the Government to ignore the crisis facing our service.

“This problem is not limited to just one or two fire services, it is all over the UK.

“Every fire service is struggling to keep people safe as a result of cuts.

“If the Government does not solve this crisis, it could be your local fire service that faces a fresh round of cuts, leaving you less safe.”

Mr Wight said people should email local MPs Rachel Gilmour, Gideon Amos, and Sir Ashley Fox asking them to add their names to the Early Day Motion.

He said: “Your action could make all the difference.

“Will you send your MP a message?

“Cuts kill. Together, we can stop them and save lives.”

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue (DSFR) had to find £4.8 million of savings in setting its budget for 2026-27 which the FBU said posed ‘serious challenges’.

The FBU said 42 firefighting jobs could potentially be lost because of the spending squeeze, while a review was being carried out of ‘low risk-low activity’ stations which could lead to the loss of some engines as a more ‘risk-based’ prevention strategy was adopted.

DSFR head of finance Andrew Furbear has also warned upgrades will be needed in the coming years to more fire stations, which would need to be funded either by more borrowing or Government grants.