Dear Brother / Sister

A SERVICE TO  BE PROUD OF  -  A PROFESSION TO BE PROUD OF

Many FBU members have been heavily involved over the past week and more in the operations in response to large scale flooding in various parts of the country. As we have stated in the press, this has been a huge operation involving Fire and Rescue Services from many parts of the U.K.

Fire and Rescue Services have responded to extremely large numbers of calls and attended incidents for prolonged periods. Our figures demonstrate that thousands of people have been brought to safety as a result of the efforts of the service.

This operation has once again demonstrated the professionalism and humanitarian commitment of those working within our service at all levels. Officer members have coordinated operations in extremely difficult circumstances. Wholetime and retained members have given outstanding commitment to rescue work and water removal operations. Many of our members have been required to work in other parts of the country at little or no notice, sometimes for days at a time.

I am particularly proud of members working in the various local Emergency Fire Controls, who have dealt with huge numbers of calls, have coordinated responses across many parts of the country and have done so with the utmost professionalism. They have demonstrated beyond doubt that we have efficient, effective and resilient systems in place to deal with the most extreme of demands.

Visit to South Yorkshire and Humberside

Last week I was able to visit members from various parts of the U.K. working in South Yorkshire and Humberside and to see some of these operations underway. I thank the two Chief Fire Officers for their help and cooperation in enabling this and I thank all those members involved who took time to outline to us the operations they had been involved in.

I was able to see the work undertaken in the emergency controls and at the various scenes of operations. I am happy to be able to report that, despite personal hardships, members of the public I spoke to were full of praise for the work of firefighters.

I am also aware that many of our members have had to perform their duties in the wider interest whilst aware that their own homes and families had been affected by flooding.

Following these operations there will be much to discuss and debate.

We will be carefully examining issues relating to:

• Equipment;
• Training;
• Planning and Coordination;
• Conditions of service issues;
• Welfare arrangements;
• Working in other fire authority areas;

And a range of issues already identified by members involved.

It is worth remembering that at the same time as the service faced the challenges of these floodings it has also played a key role in responding to and dealing with the incidents in Glasgow and London over the weekend. These were a stark reminder of the scale of incidents which the Fire and Rescue Service may be called upon to deal with at any one time.

There will inevitably be many lessons to learn from these events. However, what cannot be doubted is the commitment and professionalism of those working within the Fire and Rescue Service. I have already raised a number of these points in a letter to the Prime Minister and I hope that both government and fire service politicians will enter a genuine dialogue on the issues we identify.

I am sure I speak for all FBU members when I thank all those involved for their efforts and for the professionalism demonstrated. What has been shown to all who care to look is that the Fire and Rescue Service is indeed -

• A service to be proud of
• A service worth defending.

Best wishes.

Yours fraternally


MATT WRACK
General Secretary
MW/jh