Over the last few years, UK fire and rescue services have been facing central government pressure to reduce budgets. Many fire stations have closed and others have had to cut the number of fire engines and personnel. Statistics show that fire services do not now attend as many calls to property fires as in previous years. The government has also abolished attendance times - required maximum periods between the receipt of a 999 or 112 call and the arrival of the first fire engine. In the most remote areas, calling the fire and rescue service may now involve a wait of 30 minutes or more for attendance by a single fire engine. In urban areas, you may have to wait more than ten minutes for the first engine to arrive.
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