Spring and summer this year were both record-breaking. Droughts and high temperatures created the perfect conditions for wildfires.
Meanwhile, austerity has undermined the ability of the fire service to respond and a lack of national standards means that it’s pot luck how good your local fire cover will be. We dedicate our front page to the crisis of resilience that was laid bare this summer. As we show in this issue of Firefighter, massive fires at Holt Heath in Dorset and Langdale Moor in North Yorkshire drew in crews from across the UK.
Why are FBU members being sent hundreds of miles across the UK to fight fires? The answer is simple: cuts. We have lost one in five firefighter jobs since 2010, and this year the Labour government has imposed yet another real terms cut. Our message to the government is clear – you must invest in our service to keep the public safe. It’s time to end the flat pay structure and postcode lottery established more than 20 years ago.
POLITICAL FIGHT
This September, we took our message direct to the politicians. At Labour Party conference this year we helped forced a debate on funding for public services. Delegates voted for a motion, put forward by the FBU and other unions, which called on the government tax the rich to fund an emergency increase of 5,000 firefighters as a first step to restoring numbers. We will fight for that motion to be implemented.
Find out more about what we did at Labour and TUC conferences in this issue.
PAY
At a recent meeting of the National Joint Council, the FBU and fire service employers continued discussions that should end the flat pay structure and postcode lottery that was established after the 2002-3 pay dispute, which both parties agree is inadequate.
SYNAGOGUE ATTACKS
The terrorist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on 2 October shocked the country. The FBU sends its condolences and thoughts to all those affected. We are proud of the role our members played on the day in saving lives, and in the news section of this magazine we set out the importance of the Marauding Terrorist Attack (MTA) agreement with the FBU.
GAZA
In this issue, we reprint a grim, and insightful, piece of reporting on the bravery and plight of our colleagues in Gaza. Over two years of hell, firefighters have tried their best to keep their communities safe. Many have been killed, and lost those closest to them. The FBU will continue to demand justice and an end to the killing.
PHOTO COMPETITION
Congratulations to winner Paul Young, and runners up Gordon Curran and Hannah Tyler, in this year’s FBU photo competition. You can read about their work in this issue, and get your hands on it in the 2026 FBU calendar. You can pre-order your calendar today – just visit the FBU Shop at shop.fbu.org.uk
