Carry on? No worries.

Of course, our fire services are facing increased pressures. Staff shortages are one of them, climate-change-induced weather extremes occurring more and more often, and challenges that will come as we head into winter in the midst of an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis. The National Fire Chiefs Council is worried that people are going to be at additional risk due to the cost-of-living crisis, in the sense that as people look for cheaper, alternative methods to keep warm in the face of soaring energy bills, they may be using outdated or faulty portable heaters and electric blankets, or that under the misconception that it is cheaper to use electricity during off-peak hours, more people may be using white goods while they are asleep, for example. This means that if there is a fire, it might go longer undetected, allowing occupants less time to respond quickly and safely.

On top of this, of course, this summer, the Fire Brigades Union noted that instead of improving fire and rescue services, we have had 11,500 firefighters cut since 2010, and there's a growing reliance on retained or on-call firefighters, who are expected to learn the range of firefighting skills in a fraction of the time compared to their full-time colleagues. The chief fire officer for mid and west Wales, Roger Thomas, has commented on how unsustainable this retained model is; young people aren't coming in to replace the older on-call firefighters at the moment. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service currently has 702 full-time equivalent posts for retained firefighters, but the current cohort is 574. They've tried measures to recruit firefighters, such as liaising with local employers and offering courses, but something more radical is needed. It appears to be, potentially, a generational problem. So, to that end, how is the Welsh Government going to ensure that future training targets younger people, that it fosters a sustainable recruitment model, and reduces the reliance on on-call firefighters? 

Now, not only must we improve the training provided, but we must ensure that the pay and conditions that our firefighters have is of an acceptable quality. We know that members of the Fire Brigades Union will be balloted in coming weeks on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action after rejecting a 5 per cent pay offer. The Fire Brigades Union general secretary noted that there were firefighters using foodbanks. These are the same people who helped work through the pandemic to protect their communities and took on extra duties to do so, and are currently facing further challenges and pressures. So, I just wanted to take the opportunity to say that a further real-terms pay cut is a disgusting way to repay them.

But, now, to improve work conditions and the safety of our fire service, how will future fire service training ensure that outdated and potentially dangerous firefighting tactics aren't being taught, as identified in the thematic review? And how will this be monitored and maintained? And given the recurring themes of inadequate training time constrained by working patterns, what does the Deputy Minister see as the solution to this? For example, what did the fire and rescue authorities have to say on this in their response? Diolch yn fawr.