9.5% of London Fire Brigade staff are off at the moment either because they have Covid or are having to self-isolate.
Jon Lambe is the London region official at Norbiton based Fire Brigade’s Union.
He says the situation is severe and firefighters are calling out for help.
Deputy Commissioner, Richard Mills, said: “We currently have 9.5% of staff absent due to testing positive for Covid-19 or having to self-isolate. Throughout the pandemic we have consistently met our attendance targets. These are to get the first fire engine to an incident within a London-wide average of six minutes and a second fire engine within a London-wide average of eight minutes.
“Like all other emergency services we have faced staffing challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We continue to face these challenges as new variants are found and restrictions are updated and changed. We follow the relevant Government guidance closely to keep our staff safe.
"Our fire cover is planned on a London-wide basis. If staff or fire engines at a particular station are unavailable for any reason, we move them from elsewhere to provide cover. This happens daily as standard practice as crews deal with emergencies, carry out community safety work or train away from their station.”