FIREFIGHTERS are working up to 15 hours a day as Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service support areas affected by moorland fires, it has been revealed.

Ian Mullen, St Helens station manager, told St Helens Council’s safer communities overview and scrutiny panel on Thursday that the service is only responding to emergency 999 calls due to increased demand.

He revealed that on Tuesday, the fire service received 355 calls from members of the public while on the same day in 2017, the service received 71 calls.

Mr Mullen said many St Helens firefighters have been assisting Wigan and Greater Manchester Fire services as they tackle the moorland wildfires.

“So, we’ve been actually supporting our colleagues in other areas,” he said.

“And our high-volume pump has been up on Winter Hill for the last two weeks trying to protect the infrastructure that’s up there.

“With that, we have to send crews and obviously the crews are then being based up in Lancashire and being rotated every four days.

“So, we are actually finding the fire service is being – I won’t use the word stretched – but being challenged with the amount resources and incidents both in Merseyside and outside of Merseyside.”

Mr Mullen said the fire service has had to suspend routine training and activity to allow staff to recuperate before heading back out.

“Most of our crews are not doing anything between 12 and 15 hour shifts because of the demand that’s been going on,” he said.

“But we are making sure that they are getting sufficient rest periods and are being looked after and their welfare is being cared for while they’re actually out in the field.”

Moss Bank ward councillor John Fulham, chairman of the panel, praised the collaboration of emergency services on major national events but said there was no “redundancy” if another incident occurs simultaneously.

He said it is only by luck that a more “catastrophic” incident has not happened.

The Labour councillor said: “The reduction in resources to fire services over the past eight years has been too much.

“And you might not say stretched but I will say stretched because I can say stretched.”