A DOZEN firefighters from Swindon and Wiltshire travelled to Westminster to tell MPs that plans to slash £1.8m from the fire authority budget would render the county’s service ‘not fit for purpose’ and could cost lives.

The reforms package has been put out to public consultation amid fierce opposition from some staff.

The Fire Brigades’ Union says the measures include plans to cut frontline firefighting, spread appliances more thinly around the county and reduce specialist emergency medical equipment.

The delegation met with South Swindon MP Robert Buckland and his counterpart in the north, Justin Tomlinson.

Wiltshire brigade secretary Brent Thorley said: “MPs want to serve their constituents. They need to know what could happen in their own back yard if these cuts go ahead. We are firefighting professionals and can see the risks. It’s our job to alert MPs and councillors to what’s at stake.

“These cuts threaten to have a devastating impact on Wiltshire Fire and Rescue’s ability to serve communities.”

The FBU brigade, which visited Westminster on Tuesday, says cuts to ‘on call’ retained firefighters will lead to the loss of one in three full-time equivalent posts.

It also claims 30 full-time firefighter posts will be axed – one in six frontline jobs. The union says aerial appliances – used for buildings more than three floors high – will be cut from two to one.

It says four tenders used at road accidents and building collapses, which carry specialist medical equipment, will be removed.

The union is also urging all Wiltshire MPs to sign an Early Day Motion calling for fair Government grants to reflect the contribution fire services across the south west make to dealing withUK incidents and building national resilience.

But Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service says safety will be of paramount concern and the reforms will transfer staff where they are needed and modernise the service.

Chief Fire Officer Simon Routh-Jones has said: “We have no choice but to change, given the conomic climate and the demands placed upon us by public expectation. We have to find £1.8m from our budget by 2014, but we have done all we can to bring forward proposals that protect our core business while allowing us to make the savings.”

The service said it will keep all 24 of its fire stations, maintain or improve cover, work closely with its partners and the community and use the skills of its staff in a better way. It says it will maintain thedistribution of fire engines, but consolidate ‘special’ appliances – some will move to other locations and some will be replaced by more appropriate equipment.

A statement from Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service said: “We are faced with a reduction in our base budget, and we have sought to find ways of making the savingswhile maintaining all 24 of our fire stations and keeping all our engines.

“We are currently consulting on how we could change the way we respond to incidents.

“The consultation runs until June and details are on www.wiltsfire.gov.uk – under ‘Have Your Say.’”