Firefighters from Watford, Garston and Rickmansworth are joining a national rally and lobby of Parliament in Westminster on Wednesday to campaign for improvements to training, safety and staffing.

The Fire Brigade Union hopes to urge politicians to take action following research which has found a growing number of firefighter fatalities.

The research highlights the need for much more safety-critical training and the return of national guidance from Government to support fire authorities.

Fire authorities need to ensure that firefighters are fully protected by learning the lessons of previous tragedies.

Hertfordshire firefighters are calling for an end to budget cuts and more money to ensure the provision of a well equipped and trained fire and rescue service for the county.

Secretary for the Hertfordshire’s firefighter's union Tony Smith said: "Firefighter deaths have gone up sharply in recent years, three of them in our county.

"We all know that this is a dangerous job, which deals with hazardous situations, but the lessons of previous tragedies must be learned if they are not to be repeated.

"Firefighters are the professionals. The Government needs to listen to us, and reinforce safety standards; we have to get the Government to act".

Between 1980 and 1999 the number of firefighter deaths at work declined steadily – yet this figure has risen sharply in recent years.

Eight firefighters died performing their duty in 2007 alone, the worst year for firefighter deaths for 30 years.

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has experienced a raft of budget cuts over several years culminating in the closure of Radlett and Bovingdon fire stations and the loss of 12 frontline firefighter posts from Hemel Hempstead, Watford and St Albans in 2005 - the same year that two Stevenage firefighters lost their lives at a high rise fire.

Mr Smith said: "Put simply, if there is not enough money then there is not enough training; not enough risk assessment; not enough frontline firefighters.

"Politicians have to realise that this is an essential service and it must be adequately funded."