'Scrapheap challenge' response to hotel blaze shows #IsleOfWight #fire service on brink of critical failure

The service was unable to initially send the right number of fire engines (three) due to the poor availability of appliances on the Island. Instead, it initially sent two, leaving just two fire engines available to cover the whole of the Island.

The service was also unable to provide a second aerial ladder platform, again due to a lack of firefighters.

Island services were transferred to the mainland for cost savings. Unreliable ferry service to #IOW used in emergency to move mainland fire engines

onthewight.com/scrapheap-chall…

#Safety #fire #Hampshire #fails

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Isle of Wight news coverage by the award-winning team behind OnTheWight.

^{Rufus Pickles, Local Democracy Reporter (Isle of Wight News from OnTheWight)}