Sixty two firefighters in Greater Manchester are in self isolation due to the coronavirus.
Now union chiefs have called for them to have priority testing as some could be at home, away from frontline duties, unnecassarily.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that 62 operational staff were currently self isolating.
A spokesperson said: "We are following national guidance with regards to self-isolation in order to protect our staff and the public.
"We are doing all we can to allocate staff in the best way possible and ensure we maintain an effective service for the public."
There are currently 1,176 firefighters in the Greater Manchester brigade after 600 posts were lost from 2010 due to deep cuts to the service.
This week two fire engines were taken off the road at Wythenshawe Station for two hours for a deep clean after a firefighter ending his shift felt unwell and self-isolated.
Parts of the fire station and kit were also cleaned before crews resumed service there.
In a letter to ministers in Westminster and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Fire Brigades Union has said that without testing, firefighters and control staff could be self-isolating unnecessarily, when they could be on hand to protect the public.
The union also says that testing could help reduce the risk of frontline staff transmitting the infection to vulnerable members of the public.
London Fire Brigade has at least 280 personnel in isolation, five per cent of its overall staff; West Midlands Fire Service, 105, 5.5 per cent; Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, 285, 3.75 per cent.
Fire and rescue services across the UK are operating with 11,500 fewer firefighters than in 2010, and,the union claims unless services are able to test their employees, they could face dangerous shortages.
Matt Wrack, Manchester-born FBU general secretary, said:“In this time of national crisis, every emergency service worker has an important role to play. The NHS is an obvious priority, but any testing regime needs to address all key public services.
“Without proper testing, the number of fire and rescue personnel available could drop to dangerously low levels. Fires and other non-virus related emergency incidents won’t wait for this crisis to subside and ministers need to consider that carefully.
“It is vital for public safety that firefighters and control staff, like their colleagues in the NHS, receive priority testing and, once available, vaccination.
“We’re pushing for measures to limit our members’ exposure to the virus, but some interaction with the public cannot be avoided and ministers need to manage that risk.”
While the FBU has called for firefighters to cease all non-essential, non-emergency interactions with the public, they will continue to come into contact in emergency situations, placing them at greater risk of infection.
