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Fire Services: Manpower

Volume 496: debated on Wednesday 15 July 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire fighters were employed at fire stations in (a) the North East, (b) Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997. (285328)

Available data on the number of firefighters are shown in the tables. These are for: (a) the north-east, and for (b) the Tees Valley areas of Cleveland and of Darlington.

Fire fighter strength data for Darlington, and both headcount and strength data for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

(a) Number of firefighters, the north-east of England, 1999 to 2008

Headcount

Strength

At 31 March

Whole-time

Retained duty

Wholetime1

Retained duty2

1999

2,195

450

2,195

343

2000

2,213

456

2,213

371

2001

2,224

442

2,222

351

2002

2,239

456

2,239

396

2003

2,201

449

2,236

390

2004

2,140

455

2,138

393

2005

2,086

456

2,086

419

2006

2,051

485

2,049

414

2007

2,049

477

2,040

406

2008

2,031

471

2,031

393

1 In full-time equivalents (FTEs)

2 In 24-hour units of cover. Figures include volunteers and members of private brigades,

Source:

Annual Returns to CLG

(b) (i) Number of firefighters, Cleveland, 1999 to 2008

Headcount

Strength

At 31 March

Whole-time

Retained duty

Wholetime1

Retained duty2

1999

603

85

603

66

2000

589

89

589

69

2001

601

80

601

62

2002

610

85

610

66

2003

586

89

589

69

2004

570

87

570

66

2005

563

90

563

72

2006

561

84

559

66

2007

562

81

562

62

2008

542

94

542

72

1 In full-time equivalents (FTEs)

2 In 24-hour units of cover. Figures include volunteers and members of private brigades

Source:

Annual Returns to CLG

(b) (ii) Number of firefighters, Darlington, 1997 to 2008

Headcount1

Strength2

At 31 March

Whole-time

Retained Duty3

Wholetime4

Retained Duty5

1999

64

0

n/a

n/a

2000

64

0

n/a

n/a

2001

68

0

n/a

n/a

2002

68

0

n/a

n/a

2003

68

0

n/a

n/a

2004

68

0

n/a

n/a

2005

56

0

n/a

n/a

2006

56

0

n/a

n/a

2007

56

0

n/a

n/a

2008

56

0

n/a

n/a

n/a = data not available

1 Figures exclude Group Manager and Station Manager grades, therefore report fire-fighter personnel only.

2 Annual return data is for establishment only and is not broken down by station.

3 Darlington has no retained duty fire-fighters.

4 In full-time equivalents (FTEs).

5 In 24-hour units of cover. Figures include volunteers and members of private brigades.

Source:

Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service