Firefighter Oct/ Nov 2025
Avon Fire Authority must demand government funding to prevent cuts “disaster”, say firefighters
Avon Fire and Rescue Service is proposing cuts to firefighter posts across the county, which the Fire Brigades Union says will put lives at risk. These cuts could see between 32 and 72 firefighter posts axed, with possible station closures and a reduction in fire engines available to respond to...
Fire Brigades Union raises alarm over plans to cut Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Firefighters in Oxfordshire are raising serious concerns over Oxfordshire County Council plans to cut the fire and rescue service across the county. The council has opened a public consultation today, 28 October, on plans to close three fire stations in Eynsham, Woodstock and Henley. The plans would...
“Scrapheap challenge” response to hotel fire shows fire service on the brink of critical failure
Firefighters are warning that the slow and scrambled response to a fire at a hotel on the Isle of Wight shows how close the fire service is to being unable to keep the community safe. The warning comes as the service plans to implement yet more cuts. Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire service was...
Buckinghamshire firefighters call for investment in the fire service instead of “dangerous” cuts
Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service is facing the loss of eight fire engines and two fire stations under new proposals put forward by the local fire authority. The Liberal Democrat–run authority is considering two options, both of which would see fire engines in the county reduced from 30 to 22...
Tax the rich to deliver 5,000 more firefighters, says Labour conference
Delegates at the Labour Party conference have today backed a motion calling for a wealth tax on the richest to raise money for public services. The motion, submitted by the FBU, CWU, TSSA and Unite the Union, calls on the government to reverse austerity, commit to progressive taxation, and increase...
Pay: Our Plan
FBU general secretary Steve Wright sets the union’s plan to negotiate on pay in the coming year Pay is the FBU’s number one industrial priority. For 15 years now, firefighters have watched the value of their pay fall. Almost every profession in the public sector has suffered a drop. There are a...
Young workers organise!
Firefighter catches up with FBU activists at the union’s first Young Members’ School this summer Recep (Aj) HAWKINS Avon Age 21 I joined Avon Fire and Rescue Service in December 2021 and did 14 months on call before applying to go wholetime - that’s when I met FBU reps. Since then I’ve been to a...
Firefighters demand end to cuts in Scotland
Firefighters in Scotland are fighting back against proposed cuts following over a decade of underfunding by the Scottish government. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is currently consulting on 23 proposals to downgrade fire cover at a number of specific stations, or close them entirely. The FBU...
