Devon and Somerset Fire Service anticipates a £13M funding gap, prompting a review of operations and resource allocation.
The fire service gets money from council tax and the government. They only control the council tax money easily. They can’t raise the council tax share much. A vote for more money would cost £2.3 million.
Staffing costs take up 80% of their budget. That’s £88 million in 2025/26. About £4 of every £5 goes to employees.
The plan shows a range of possible outcomes, going from a £19 million deficit to a £7 million surplus.
The finance head, Andrew Furbear, sees a £13 million gap as likely. He believes they can manage the budget. They are changing how they work, including on-call staff pay and staff schedules. Tactical rescuing is also under review.
Chief fire officer Gavin Ellis wants a sustainable, efficient service. Though the budget is balanced next year, savings are still needed. They are studying alarm responses now.
They get many automatic fire alarm calls often. Over five years, they got 55,000 alarms.
Crews went to 27,000 of those. But only 1% needed firefighting. Ellis said this takes much time and effort. Responsible people could handle some alarms. They will still respond at night to places like care homes.