Serious concerns have been raised over Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service’s (HIWFRS) operational resilience after a series of cross-crewing incidents left stations relying on firefighters from multiple locations to crew a single appliance.

On Monday, Petersfield Fire Station had just two firefighters available, rendering its sole fire appliance off the run. In response, control mobilised two retained firefighters from Basingstoke to bolster numbers, resulting in two fire appliances from different stations temporarily based at Petersfield to make one engine operational.

However, the situation escalated further when one Petersfield firefighter had to sign off duty. HIWFRS then mobilised two additional firefighters from Waterlooville, meaning a total of three appliances and crews from three different locations were at Petersfield simply to keep one engine available.

A similar scenario reportedly unfolded on the Isle of Wight over the weekend, where retained crews from Cowes and Sandown were mobilised to cover shortages — despite neither crew having volunteered for what critics have described as a “shocking practice.”

Firefighters and observers have branded the situation “unsafe” and warned it jeopardises the emergency response the service is able to provide to local communities.

“This is nothing short of an accident waiting to happen,” one source said. “The service has become a patchwork of soggy sticking plasters covering oversized cracks. It used to pride itself on crews knowing and working with each other. Now, we’re just cobbling together whoever’s available.”

Critics argue that the reliance on last-minute mobilisations from other areas is a symptom of deeper staffing and retention problems.

HIWFRS has not yet issued a public comment on the specific incidents, but the concerns highlight growing unease among frontline staff about the sustainability of current crewing practices.