LOW pay and tighter budgets led to more than 100 firefighters leaving their jobs across Hampshire last year. 

A record number of firefighters left the industry last year across England as unions remain embroiled in a pay dispute during the cost-of-living crisis.

Home Office figures show 113 full-time and on-call firefighters left the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Services in 2021-22 – down from 173 the year before.

Across the country, a record 3,359 firefighters left their jobs last year – a 28 per cent increase on 2,628 in 2020-21.

Meanwhile, the total number of employees leaving the fire industry, which includes support and fire control staff as well as firefighters themselves, also reached a record high last year (4,640).

In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, 41 other staff left in 2021-22, meaning a total of 154 employees left the fire service.

The Fire Brigade Union said pay across the industry must be addressed to prevent further departures, with many "struggling to pay the bills".

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “Over a decade of insultingly low pay increases have left many unable to pay for their and their families’ cost of living. That is reason enough to give a huge boost to firefighter and control staff pay. 

"It is a totally disgusting state of affairs for us as a society. We need to think seriously about increasing pay, or the numbers of people leaving will increase – and the quality of life of tens of thousands of the most important people in society will continue to decrease."

Mr Wrack said tightening budgets are to blame for the declining numbers on a national scale.

"We cannot continue to have a situation where threadbare fire services are meant to keep our communities safe," he added.

"Firefighters and control staff need to get the proper resources to do their jobs; anything else lets firefighters and control staff down and lets the public down."

The Home Office said it has " consistently given fire services the resources they need to keep people safe", including £2.5 billion in funding this year.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service’s assistant director of operations, Dan Tasker, said: “We work hard to look after our people. Firefighters leave their roles for a variety of reasons, including retirement, and we monitor this carefully."

He also added that since 2020, they have seen 320 wholetime and on-call firefighters join their service and are currently recruiting at a number of their on-call stations.