East Sussex fire crews not ‘significantly’ hit by self-isolation absences despite concerns

ESFRS said on Tuesday (April 14) there have been no more absences than usual and testing requests are being handled by Sussex Resilience Forum and the government.

Sussex Resilience Forum is a multi-agency partnership made up of all emergency services, local authorities and other agencies, which work closely with the military and NHS to co-ordinate the local response to Covid-19 on behalf of the government.

ESFRS’s response comes after the Fire Brigade Union released figures stating many services were struggling with absences, which could be potentially dangerous for communities, due to the coronavirus.

A ESFRS spokesperson said, “East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is not currently experiencing absences through self-isolation or Covid-19 symptoms significantly above our usual sickness rates across the whole service.

“We are keeping track of the situation and have put measures in place to ensure we maintain an effective service for the public and to support our staff.

“We would ask members of the public to take extra care to avoid needing to call 999 in the first place, especially when cooking and using electrical gadgets.

“Requests for testing are collectively being dealt with by the Sussex Resilience Forum and appropriately escalated to the government – at this point in time we support the government’s approach in prioritising health workers.”

The Fire Brigade Union has said fire personnel across the UK urgently needs coronavirus testing as services have lost up to 12 per cent of their firefighters and control staff to self-isolation.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said, “The government is playing with fire by not testing firefighters and control room staff for coronavirus. Currently, crews are maintaining services, but this will become increasingly difficult as the virus spreads.

“There are already thousands of firefighters and control staff in self-isolation, only a fraction of which will have the disease. If we aren’t able to find out exactly who is infected, and more staff isolate unnecessarily, services will be put on a dangerous knife-edge.

“Of course testing of NHS staff has to be a priority, but firefighters and other emergency service personnel are also at serious risk. The very safety of the public relies on them being able to attend work. There needs to be a clear and deliverable testing strategy for all workers required to continue at work.

“The government failed to secure test kits in sufficient numbers early in the pandemic and now frontline services are paying the price.

“Devolved governments have begun to take steps in the right direction, but in Westminster time is standing still – ministers need to get to grips with this crisis and ensure that all emergency service personnel are tested as soon as possible.”

According to a FBU spokesperson, some firefighters are now driving ambulances and assisting ambulance staff; delivering food and medicines to vulnerable people; working with the police to move dead bodies, after the FBU reached an agreement with fire chiefs and fire and rescue employers.

The spokesperson also said that, as of April 9, firefighters are able to fit masks and respirators for NHS staff and deliver personal protective equipment and medical supplies to NHS trusts.

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