THERE are hundreds fewer firefighters in Dorset and Wiltshire than a decade ago, figures show.

The latest available Home Office figures show there were the equivalent of 825 full-time firefighters at the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service as of the end of March last year – 378 wholetime and 447 on-call.

However, this was down from 896 a year before and 1,098 in 2011 – a fall of 25 per cent over a decade.

Using the latest fire service area population estimates for 2020, it means the rate of firefighters per capita in Dorset and Wiltshire has fallen from around 7.7 per 10,000 people to 5.5 over this period.

In Wareham firefighters were being urged to sign up to the on-call service in Dorset - after the station said it did not have enough staff to attend a car crash at a tourist hotspot.

READ MORE: Emergency service could not attend crash due to lack of on-call firefighters

The Home Office figures show that 2,431 men and women joined the national fire service in 2020-21 – down from 2,845 in the previous financial year.

In Dorset and Wiltshire, the number of joiners dropped from 110 to 61 over this time.

Deputy chief fire officer at Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, Derek James said: “There have been no cuts to the number of fire stations, nor to the number of fire engines we have. The number of firefighters employed at any one time fluctuates considerably, as people retire or move on to other jobs, but we are continuing to recruit to the vacancies that arise.

“Dorset and Wiltshire FRS is predominantly served by on-call firefighters – in fact, nearly two thirds of our operational workforce is on-call – and the most important thing for us is that sufficient hours of cover are provided to ensure a 24/7 response. How many people it takes to provide that cover can vary significantly, depending on how much commitment individuals are able to offer.

“46 of our 50 fire stations have on-call firefighters, and 38 are on-call only, so we are constantly recruiting in these areas. Anyone who wants to help their community and earn some additional income should consider applying to be an on-call firefighter.

"More information can be found at www.dwfire.org.uk/on-call-firefighters.”