THE Fire Service has warned that its ability to respond to emergencies such as the Primark blaze is "under threat", as it struggles with a £3.26 million shortfall.
Figures released by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) reveal that Northern Ireland has 82 fewer firefighters this year than it did in 2018.
At the same time, its workload has increased. The NI Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) responded to two per cent more incidents this year including non-fires, while the number of fires increased by by eight per cent.
It comes as figures also reveal that nearly 1,700 people across the region were rescued last year, a 12 per cent increase on the previous year.
Jim Quinn, FBU executive council member for Northern Ireland, said: “Wildfires in the Mournes this year brought the very real threat from climate change to the fore, while last year’s Primark fire demonstrated the vital need to mobilise quickly for a large-scale fire.
"With firefighter numbers dwindling, our ability to properly respond to these incidents is under threat."
He added: "Six fire stations across Northern Ireland have had their whole-time firefighters reduced from five to three.
"It takes a minimum of five people per engine so that means that two of the firefighters are retained - they have to leave their jobs to answer the call - and that can result in delays of between five and eight minutes.
"We have lost a fire engine from the centre of Belfast and the three specialist high-rise appliances, the type used in the Primark fire, are no longer manned permanently which means they can't react immediately.
"Firefighters are being taken out of the stations to address the shortfall, and spread thinner across the different areas.
"The fear is this will become permanent if the organisation isn't properly resourced and this could put the public and our firefighters at risk. These are cuts by stealth."
Mr Quinn also said it was a "disgrace" that Northern Ireland was seeing bigger reductions in firefighter numbers than the rest of the UK.
"Lives here matter no less than they do in England, Scotland or Wales," he said.
He said Northern Ireland has already sustained "massive reductions" to firefighter numbers, with numbers having fallen by 204 since 2010, a reduction of 10 per cent.
Meanwhile, the budget for NIFRS has fallen from £81.6m in 2011/12 to £74.1m in 2019/20.
