Firefighters Memorial Day
40th anniversary of the New Cross fire tragedy
On Sunday, Yvonne Ruddock should have celebrated her 56th birthday. Tragically, she never saw another one beyond her 16th. 40 years ago, Yvonne and her friend Angela Jackson hosted a birthday party at her home at 439 New Cross Road - a well-attended event packed with their friends who had gathered...
FBU members raise money for family of fallen colleague Chris Page
Brother Chris Page, Bedfordshire firefighter and FBU member, has died after contracting Covid-19. The 58-year-old passed on Tuesday evening and will be remembered by his family, friends, and colleagues. The FBU is raising money to support Brother Page’s family using a new text-to-donate platform...
Firefighters pay tribute to Stonehaven derailment victims
Firefighters have laid flowers in memory of train driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie and passenger Chris Stuchbury, the victims of the Stonehaven train derailment. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has sent a letter of condolence and solidarity to the Scottish branches of the RMT and ASLEF...
Firefighters pay tribute to the victims of Beirut explosion
Firefighters across the UK held a minute’s silence today in honour of the firefighters and people who lost their lives in an explosion in Beirut on Tuesday. Firefighters stood outside of their stations at midday to remember over 149 people who were killed in the tragic incident, which included a...
FBU condemns murder of George Floyd
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has spoken out about the atrocious killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by white police officers in Minnesota, USA, which sparked anti-racism protests across the world. The FBU’s Black and Ethnic Minority Members (B&EMM) section said they were “appalled and...
Firefighters honour fallen colleagues on Firefighters’ Memorial Day
On 4 May, firefighters, MPs and the public came together for Firefighters’ Memorial Day to remember the firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty. At midday, on-duty firefighters across the UK stood outside their fire stations for a minute’s silence and sounded sirens in honour of...
The tragedy of the hidden homeless – living in death-trap hostels in Thatcher’s Britain
In 1980, a fire at a London hostel laid bare the brutality of Margaret Thatcher's Britain and the government's failed housing and fire safety policies. Dr Shane Ewen looks back at the fire and remembers the victims. In the early hours of 18 March 1980, residents in Kilburn, North London were woken...
