Dear Brother/Sister
Terror attack in London
FBU members will have watched yesterday’s events in London in horror. This was a disgusting and horrific attack on London and on people peacefully going about their business. The thoughts of all FBU members will be with all the victims of this outrage and particularly with the friends and families of those who died. We have written to our colleagues in the Police Federation to express our condolences to family, friends and colleagues at the death of PC Keith Palmer.
We pay tribute to all emergency responders, including all those working in our hospitals, whose actions will have saved lives and reduced injuries. As in all such attacks we saw these public servants do whatever was possible to save life and protect public safety despite personal risk.
We pay particular tribute to our own FBU members in the London Fire Brigade; our emergency fire control members dealing with such a fast moving and complex emergency; our fire crews responding to the incident around Westminster, including our fireboat crew. Firefighters across the UK and across the world will be immensely proud of the actions taken to save life and protect the public.
This incident reminds us once again that firefighters will not necessarily know at the time of mobilisation that an emergency is actually a terrorist attack. This is a matter which has been under consideration for some time and will continue to be addressed in the light of these events. It is an issue we have already raised with the Home Office, within the fire and rescue service and elsewhere. It will need further urgent discussion along with other operational issues arising from this attack. Our health and safety officials at a local and national level have already begun to draw together the details of this terrible incident and further information will be issued when possible.
Firefighters – along with other emergency service public servants – have once again demonstrated their outstanding contribution to the safety of our communities. All those concerned can be justifiably proud of that contribution.
Best wishes.
Yours fraternally
Matt Wrack
General Secretary
