FORGIVE me if I am wrong, for I am not a firefighter, but it is my understanding that the large triple ladders on the back of a fire engine require four firefighters to put them up.

If this is the case then surely a fire engine needs at least five firefighters so that, should the large ladders need to be put up, the remainder can get on with other duties.

If there are only four firefighters and one injures their back getting out of the cab, you may have a situation where there aren't enough to put up the ladders at all.

As speed is everything in an emergency, and reducing the number of firefighters must increase the amount of time to ready all the equipment, surely taking a firefighter off each fire engine is nothing but dangerous.

When it comes to staff, the authorities would rather have more propaganda ministers than provide adequate cover.

Why councillors are on the board of the fire authority is beyond sense.

I spoke to a fire chief from one of the Scottish brigades recently who was in a fire authority meeting discussing what to do with old fire engines.

One of the councillors suggested they should keep them for answering hoax calls!

If this is an example of the mentality of the fire authorities then I have a better suggestion. Why not leave decisions on how to run fire brigades to the firefighters?

JAKE LONG, Whalley Road, Accrington.