Fire and Rescue Service Matters

Ground breaking independent research conducted by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has found that toxic contaminants in fires are directly linked to increased rates of cancer among firefighters. More than 4% of surveyed firefighters were...

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI) reached a significant turning point this month, with closing submissions on Module 6, the part of the inquiry dealing with government policy and regulation. There was widespread agreement, including representatives of the bereaved, survivors and residents and the...

Almost five years after the Grenfell Tower fire, the ministers responsible for building safety and the fire and rescue service were at last called to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI) this month. Their testimony underlined the pernicious consequences of deregulation for public safety. It also...

A parliamentary bulletin for MPs from the Fire Brigades Union

On 8 February, the new Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities confirmed its local government finance settlement for the financial year 2022-23. The FBU remains concerned that, while there is a small uplift of 1%, this represents a further cut in real terms and does nothing to remedy...

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI) has completed its Module 5 on firefighting and begun on Module 6 on government, part of its Phase 2 investigation of the background to the fire. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is a core participant in the GTI and has made numerous written statements, submissions...

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI) is at last examining the record of central government and the role of ministers, some four and a half years since the devastating fire. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) wanted these matters investigated from the start. The coming months should expose the appalling...

There are too few firefighters to guarantee resilience after the COVID pandemic and more than a decade of austerity according to new figures obtained by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). One-in-five firefighter jobs (20%) across the UK have been cut since 2010. This has had a huge impact on the...

In March, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced plans to consult on possible changes to fire governance. The Home Secretary proposed consulting this summer on “whether to mandate the transfer of fire and rescue functions to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner model across England where boundaries...

On 17 March, the chief inspector of fire & rescue services in England, Tom Winsor, published his second annual State of Fire and Rescue report. It is yet another attack on firefighters. The report is thin on evidence, but packed with unsubstantiated assertions, together with damaging recommendations...