Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many redeployment opportunities there are within the Fire and Rescue Service to accommodate firefighters who are unable to maintain an operational fitness standard.

We do not keep data on redeployment opportunities for firefighters. If a person has a permanent medical condition preventing them undertaking their role, they would be eligible for ill health retirement.

The role of firefighters has changed dramatically over recent years. Firefighters engage in more specialist roles and work more closely with the community to prevent fires and reduce other risks. More diverse roles demand new approaches to workforce management and these provide the opportunities for a more diverse workforce, including older workers, bringing a wider range of skills and experience to bear in serving their communities, and a more sophisticated approach to measuring operational fitness.