The number of firefighters in Bristol and the surrounding area has fallen since the Grenfell Tower disaster. It is one of more than 20 areas across England to see the number of firefighters and control room staff dwindle since the tragic fire at the London tower block five years ago, which took the lives of 72 people.
There was a combined total of 726 full-time firefighters, on-call firefighters and control staff at Avon Fire and Rescue Service at the end of March 2021, the latest available Home Office figures show. That was down by 19 (2.6%) from 745 four years earlier, which was the last workforce count before the Grenfell fire on June 14 2017.
The fall was driven by the declining number of firefighter roles, while the number of control staff, who handle 999 calls, rose slightly over the period. Across England, the total stood at 36,448 at the end of March last year, 176 fewer than the 36,624 recorded in March 2017.
