Fire service 'operating at half strength'

Most of the country's fire brigades are operating at half strength, according to the unpublished "Pathfinder" report by government safety experts into the service's future.

A Fire Brigades Union official said yesterday that the report shows 85 per cent of brigades need to double their numbers in order to reduce the loss of life and property. He added that almost all its recommendations stated that "more engines, more firefighters and in some cases more stations" are needed.

The report, compiled over three years and sponsored by the Government, was due to be published last March. Its findings seem directly to contradict the Bain Review, which suggested up to 1,500 jobs a year could be lost. The FBU official added: "The 'Pathfinder' report is a serious study properly trialled over a three-year period by experts in their field. The Bain Review was cobbled together by three people who know nothing about the fire service and took evidence for six weeks."

The unpublished report was leaked to Channel 4 News on Friday. The FBU had not previously referred to the report because it was bound by a confidentiality agreement, an official said.

The report's findings have been dismissed by the Government. The office of the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, said: "This is a complete distortion of the facts and is based on one of a set of results from initial trials."