Cuts at Hampshire Fire and Rescue

9 April 2010, 10:17 | Updated: 9 April 2010, 10:36

Up to forty fire fighter jobs at Hampshire Fire and Rescue are being cut, as part of plans to save £4.5m over the next three years.

Heart has spoken to Area Manager Andy Kettle, "We currently have 1450 staff in total, so it's a fairly small reduction when you consider that in the context of the total number of staff that we employ".

Click here to listen to the full interview

Most of the positions will be made through natural wastage over the next two years, although further cuts planned for other departments are still being finalised.

The service denies the cuts will put lives at risk. Andy Kettle said, "On any given day we will have the same numbers of firefighters on duty to maintain those safe levels and appropriate levels to go out and tackle the incidents they face."

"Our calculations are based on some very detailed work we've done around rota management and shift patterns. We're confident we'll be able to work as effectively as we do now."

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