Europe Cuts Back on Firefighters Even as Blazes Ravage Continent
Most EU nations pared their army of firefighters despite extreme weather becoming more frequent and intense.
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Most countries in Europe are paring their army of firefighters even as the continent battles increasingly intense heat waves that have already stoked wildfires in Greece and Portugal this summer.
European Union member states saw the number of firefighters drop by 1.5% in 2022 to less than 360,000 compared to the year before, according to a statement Tuesday from the European Trade Union Confederation, or ETUC, citing Eurostat data. Slovakia, Bulgaria and Portugal saw the biggest percentage drops year-on-year, while France cut the highest number of these professionals.