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Sussex firefighters' injury toll divide
4:12pm Thursday 15th May 2008
The risk of injury to Sussex firefighters depends on which side of the county they work, new figures suggest.
The number of firefighters hurt in West Sussex has remained broadly stable over the past decade, with 52 people hurt in both 1998-99 and 2006-07.
But, according to records published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the number of injuries in East Sussex more than doubled over the same period, from 35 in 1998- 99 to 73 in 2006-07, the latest period for which figures are available.
Nationally, figures show the number of injuries in operational incidents fell significantly over the past decade, from 2,965 in 1998-99 to 1,996 in 2006-07, suggesting firefighting, widely regarded as one of the most dangerous jobs, is safer than ever.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service pointed out the number of injuries in its area fell in some years, reaching a low of 26 in 2000-01.
A spokeswoman said: "These figures are not representative of the severity of injuries and they do not compare the amount of injuries per operational incident attended. The figures have decreased as well as increased.
"We are absolutely committed to the safety and welfare of all staff. We promote an open culture towards health and safety and actively encourage all staff to report every type of accident, no matter how minor, in order that we can understand and investigate any underlying causes and implement appropriate solutions."
Francis Bishop, brigade secretary for the Fire Brigades Union in West Sussex, denied the job was getting less dangerous. He said: "Nothing has happened to make it safer. Certainly when it comes to deaths the figures are shooting up, attacks on firefighters are going up, in West Sussex and elsewhere, and there are still concerns about the need to improve safety."
He said the figures for East Sussex may have been distorted by the major incident at Marlie Farm, Ringmer, near Lewes, in 2006, when an explosion killed two firefighters and hurt several others.
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