Fire Brigades Union News

A ground-breaking cancer research project has returned to the North East with more than 100 firefighters from Tyneside set to take part. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) are this week hosting a testing program commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). Back in February, the first 15 firefighters volunteered to take part in testing carried out by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). More than 1,000 firefighters across the United Kingdom (UK) have participated by providi...

The Scottish Government has provided funding of £56,000 to enable firefighters based in Scotland to participate in a UK-wide health screening program, which is being facilitated by the Fire Brigades Union and the University of Central Lancashire. Around 1,000 UK firefighters will take part in trials, which will include blood tests to look for early signs of illness and cancer and these trials will help to inform the evidence around potential future annual health screening arrangements. S...

A Commemoration Service has been held at the James Braidwood statue on Parliament Square in Edinburgh to pay tribute to fallen Firefighter - Ewan Williamson who lost his life in 2009. A minute’s silence was observed, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony involving members of Ewan's family alongside the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Officer - Ross Haggart. event attendees SFRS colleagues, representatives from the public sector, and charity organizations from across the cit...

An independent culture review has revealed a plethora of failings regarding the internal culture and well-being of staff at the London Fire Brigade (LFB), labeling it as “institutionally misogynist and racist”. The commissioned review published on 25 November 2022 was carried out by the former Chief Crown Prosecutor for north-west England, Nazir Afzal OBE. independent investigation findings  The report forms the outcome of an independent investigation that was requested by Lo...

Each year the government is seeing an increase in the number of attacks on fire service crews–with figures the highest they have been in over ten years. This year there were 983 attacks-an increase of 5% from the previous year when there were 934 incidents, and a big jump from two years ago when there were 899 attacks. The figures from the Fire and Rescue Workforce and Pensions Statistics are gathered from the Home Office’s Incident Recording System and cover the financial year runn...

A leading professor has praised a North East fire service for their commitment to firefighter safety and innovation. This week, Professor Anna Stec from the University of Central Lancashire provided insight into the importance of reducing contaminants and improving safety to firefighters, fire service staff and members of the public. In an event ran by the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) local representatives, Professor Stec addressed a number of...

After the five-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower disaster, the Fire Industry can take stock of improvements to increase fire safety in high-rise residential buildings. However, the feeling of positivity is not mutual for the disabled residents of tower blocks. Despite all Grenfell Tower survivors now being safely rehoused, thousands of disabled people across the UK still live in high-rise buildings similar to Grenfell, without proper evacuation support. Proper evacuation support So, are...

The government is facing calls to deliver pension justice that a Court of Appeal ruling has mandated, with their lack of action meaning that the Fire Brigades Union is being forced to begin preparing relevant legal claims on behalf of its members. In a further unusual step, employees’ and employers’ representatives within fire and rescue have sent a joint letter to the government, calling on them to alter steps which mean that fire and rescue services are currently unable to comply...

Module 5 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry focuses on firefighting, with opening statements setting out a detailed analysis of operational, cultural, and leadership shortcomings of the London Fire Brigade. The Inquiry is interested in how the London Fire Brigade trained and prepared its staff for responding to fires in all buildings as construction methods have changed over the decades. Different legal firms Module 5 began with opening statements from three different legal firms, representing the...

New training for firefighters aims to fight the cancer threat to them from fires, by taking aim at the toxic substances that fires produce. UK firefighters surveyed as part of University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) research were four times more likely to have been diagnosed with cancer than the general population. It’s thought that firefighter’s exposure to those toxic substances could be playing a part in their increased risk of getting cancer and other diseases. Better cleaning...

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has responded to the UN’s latest major report on climate change, which was published recently. He said that “Firefighters here and across the world are on the front line of the climate crisis. We see the effects of climate change every time we fight wildfires and save people from floods, and we will fight as hard as we can for politicians to wake up and take notice. As a humanitarian service, we cannot stand by and watch this happen.&...

A fire broke out at New Providence Wharf, a high-rise residential building in East London, where cladding was due to be removed. London Fire Brigade firefighters tackled a blaze in a 19-story building where parts of the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors were alight. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus carried out multiple rescues and two men were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. cladding remediation The London Ambulance Service said they had treated a number of people ...

Fire and rescue service employers have unilaterally scrapped a ground-breaking agreement with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) which had enabled firefighters to assist the NHS and care sector response to COVID-19. Negotiations over health and safety measures for firefighters delivering high-risk COVID-19 duties were ongoing when the National Employers issued a communication ending the agreement on the evening of Wednesday 13 January. The decision appears to be supported by the National Fire Chiefs...

Firefighters are ready to assist the UK’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccines after an agreement was reached between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the fire and rescue service National Employers. The agreement allows firefighters to assist other public sector organizations with the track, trace, and isolate measures, and to check that potential higher risk premises are COVID-secure. Firefighters will inspect workplaces where relevant authorities have raised concerns about COVID-security, not...

Firefighters, climate campaigners and scientists have urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to invest in the fire and rescue service to protect the public and vital infrastructure from the devastating effects of climate change – or risk ruining the chance of a green recovery. In a letter to the Chancellor ahead of the Spending Review on 25 November, the Fire Brigades Union and climate groups including Green New Deal UK, Greenpeace UK, Friends of the Earth, and the Campaign Against Climate Change (...

Ground-breaking research has revealed the serious health risks to UK firefighters following exposure to toxic fire effluents, the chemicals emitted during a fire, in an independent University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) report commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). The work is the UK's first and the latest in a growing body of international evidence suggesting an increased risk of firefighters developing cancer and other diseases. Fires produce a cocktail of toxic, irritant, and carci...

Yorkshire Ambulance Service welcomes additional COVID-19 support from fire and rescue colleagues. Firefighter colleagues from the region’s four fire and rescue services will be joining the Yorkshire Ambulance Service to provide additional support during the current COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The 48 volunteers (12 from each fire and rescue service – North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Humberside) will be carrying out tasks including driving ambulances and othe...

Norfolk’s Chief Fire Officer and his team are working with colleagues at The East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) to identify ways fire service staff can support them during the COVID-19 pandemic. This morning, the National Fire Chiefs Council published a national agreement following discussions with Fire and Rescue Services and the Fire Brigades Union. It paves for the way for the local discussions to identify areas where Norfolk’s firefighters and other staff can best s...

Responding to a terrible student accommodation fire in Bolton, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has called for a complete overhaul of UK fire safety and condemned cuts to fire and rescue services. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: "My congratulations go to the crews on the ground who did amazing work in incredibly difficult circumstances. This terrible fire highlights the complete failure of the UK’s fire safety system. It’s deeply troubling to see fire spread rapidly up a build...

The Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, released Oct. 30, examines events of 14 June, 2017, when 71 people were killed in a high-rise building fire at Grenfell Tower, a residential tower block in North Kensington, London. The report finds London Fire Brigade’s planning and preparation for such a fire was “gravely inadequate.” The report reflects the first phase of the inquiry. Investigators will consider problems related to design, maintenance and renovation of Grenf...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service is one of two fire services in the UK now carrying escape hoods to protect members of the public from toxic smoke at fires. The introduction of the new kit comes as a result of collaborative working with London Fire Brigade, who’ve also issued the hoods to their crews. The hoods have a filter which provide up to 15 minutes protection from four of the main fire gases (carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein) and can be worn by consciou...

As the countdown to Christmas gets well and truly underway with offices and places of work getting into the festive spirit, Siemens Building Technologies is warning UK businesses about the potential consequences of false fire alarms during the busiest period of the year. False alarms from remotely-monitored fire detection and fire alarm systems cost the UK economy an estimated £1 billion in business disruption with 95% of automatically-generated alarms being proved to be false placing Fire...

The Fire Brigades Union has expressed safety concerns about crewing TRVs with fewer than 4  Due to long standing safety concerns of The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) about crewing TRVs with fewer than 4 firefighters, and more recently concerns having been raised by local MPs on behalf of their constituents, the Fire Authority’s new Chairman, Councillor Andrew Backhouse, has asked officers to produce a report to increase crewing of TRVs at Malton, Tadcaster, Northallerto...

Operational firefighters who recently left the service have been re-employed for strike periods As part of the ongoing national dispute between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Government over the proposed reform of firefighter pension schemes nationally, a further strike date has been announced by the FBU from 7am on the 25th February for a period of 24 hours. A large percentage of our firefighters are retained (part-time or on-call), and many of them are not memb...

The report highlights severe problems with use of breathing apparatus and inadequate training Clifford Cox, 53, collapsed on Saturday at his fire station in Staines, Surrey, from which hundreds of people have been evacuated by the fire service after the recent floods. Colleagues tried in vain to resuscitate Mr Cox, who had served in Surrey Fire & Rescue Service (FRS) for 25 years. Detectives from North Surrey CID were called to Staines Fire Station following his sudden de...

Suffolk fire crew plans for legal action if decision is taken to close Suffolks 999 control room On 7th December fire chiefs urged County Councillors to vote through controversial plans to close and sell-off Suffolk’s only emergency fire control room without any prior public consultation. The Fire Brigades Union was preparing legal action if they do.Suffolk’s fire crews are calling upon the Councillors to step back and reconsider the needs of the Suffolk communitie...

The job cuts in fire services can lead to poor qulality of attending emergency calls and safety risks Humberside Fire and Rescue Service has released its draft IRMP for consultation which has been branded as threatening to public and firefighter safety. Fire Brigades Union members from Humberside  begin a united campaign to fight 170 job cuts to emergency front line firefighter posts that will decimate frontline 999 services. The proposals can only mean a reductio...

999 fire calls to be transferred to Cambridgeshire due to closing of the lpswich control centre Emergency fire calls in Suffolk could soon be answered outside the county under plans to close the county’s emergency fire control centre, putting public safety at risk, warns the Fire Brigades Union. On Friday Nov 26 Staff working in Suffolk Fire Control in Ipswich learned that their jobs could go under the plans. Closing the Ipswich control centre and transferring 999 fire c...

Firefighters and emergency fire control staff will gather on the Scottish Parliament to promote their campaign Fire Brigades Union members from the outskirts of Scotland will converge on the Scottish Parliament to promote their campaign to protect the fire and rescue service in Scotland.Firefighters and emergency fire control staff from around the Scotland will converge on the Scottish Parliament to raise the profile of their campaign to protect the fire an...

FBU demands a legal change to guarantee resources with fire and rescue services to tackle emergencies FBU demanded for change in law to ensure fire crews have right equipments to face emergencies. As firefighters tackle flooding in Cornwall, the Fire Brigades Union have demanded a change in law to ensure fire crews have the right equipment to tackle such emergencies.Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary said: “Firefighters have again acquitted themselves with distincti...