Firefighters in Kent will this week be taught how to drive ambulances as the service steps up its role in the coronavirus fight.

For the past fortnight the county's fire and rescue service has been assisting South East Coast Ambulance Service by driving five lorries full of medicine and supplies to paramedics and hospitals.

But their efforts come amid mounting criticism that the government is not testing enough frontline personnel.

A total of 48 firefighters in Kent are not at work as they are self-isolating. Of those seven are sick and cannot carry out duties, while the remainder are carrying out modified duties –19 because family members have symptoms and 22 because someone they live with is vulnerable.

The figures differ slightly to those initially issued by the FBU, with more staff off in total but less firefighters.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has revealed nationally 3,000 firefighters and support staff are in the same position.

In some areas the percentage off work is as high as 12% and in the capital it is 10% – with an 200 more staff off now than on March 20.

In Kent 67 total staff are off, representing 4.6% of the 1,460-strong workforce, while 3.9% of firefighters cannot come in to work. There are no control room absences.

Fire crews are working at the front line of the coronavirus battle, driving ambulances, delivering food and supplies and helping move bodies.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service has been delivering large quantities of medical supplies to paramedics and hospitals in the county for the past fortnight.

Firefighters who are qualified to drive an emergency vehicle and meet the necessary criteria to volunteer as an ambulance driver, will this week undergo training with the ambulance service before hitting the roads paired with a paramedic.

Mark Rist, assistant director for response at KFRS, said: "To begin with, the majority of volunteer drivers will be our on-call firefighters. These people usually provide evening or weekend cover for us and have a separate daytime job.

“However, given the current circumstances, many are currently unable to carry on with their daytime role, so this is an opportune situation to offer this enhanced service, without causing disruption to our usual service.”

But while the government has come under increasing scrutiny for the number of NHS staff not being tested, other frontline workers have been largely forgotten, according to the FBU.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has now vowed to up testing from an initial 25,000-a-day aim to 100,000 by the end of the month.

On Sunday 14,506 tests were administered to 10,745 people in the UK and as of yesterday morning 367,667 tests has been administered to 290,720 people since the pandemic hit Britain last month.

While a large number of those tests have been administered to some of the more than 500,000 frontline NHS workers and their families very few fire service staff are included.

In Scotland the fire service has lost 362 staff to isolation, just under 5% of its workforce, and the government has now stepped in to start testing personnel at Glasgow airport.

Northern Ireland has tested 50 fire service staff while the Welsh devolved government has committed to testing other emergency service personnel once tests have been secured for NHS staff.

No such assurances had been given by Westminster in correspondence with the FBU.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “There are already thousands of firefighters and control staff in self-isolation, only a fraction of which will have the disease. If we aren’t able to find out exactly who is infected, and more staff isolate unnecessarily, services will be put on a dangerous knife-edge.

“Of course testing of NHS staff has to be a priority, but firefighters and other emergency service personnel are also at serious risk.

“The very safety of the public relies on them being able to attend work.

“There needs to be a clear and deliverable testing strategy for all workers required to continue at work.”

Lee, Rose, KFRS assistant director for resilience, said: “Kent Fire and Rescue Service continues to operate a full fire and rescue service for the county, and is supporting partners and other organisations with additional staff and humanitarian aid. Through partnerships KFRS is exploring testing arrangements locally, where this is required.

“We currently have a low number of staff self-isolating with symptoms, however we aren’t able to comment further on an individuals’ health. KFRS is supporting individuals who are self-isolating and are shielding if they or members of their family have been identified as vulnerable. In addition we’re supporting individuals with pregnant partners to self-isolate 14 days before the expected date of birth.”

KMTV reports on the story

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