Firefighter Perfectly Explains Why Budget Cuts Put Them At Risk

29 June 2017, 13:15 | Updated: 29 June 2017, 14:28

James O'Brien received this remarkable call from a firefighter, who told him that resources are so tight in the service that they are forced to put themselves at risk.

Ian works as a firefighter and says his colleagues went into Grenfell Tower more than the two times the rules allow - because there weren't enough people to take over.

James said to him: "You work in a service that has been cut to such a degree that the regulations in place to protect you will routinely be breached while politicians at the local and national level routinely call for regulation to be reduced."

Iain responded: "They are saying that the new guidance is we should have rest periods after hotwares of certain degree [entering a burning building].

"Of course, in normal incidences, I'm not talking about the latest Grenfell Tower tragedy, it becomes very difficult to do that, if not impossible. And of course, that onus is put on the staff and the officers at the incident.

"So as you say, if something does go wrong, they would have to justify themselves. And it would have to be in a court of law."

James was left to respond: 'That's just incredible."