The FBU has called out the Home Office for ‘disrespecting’ fire control staff by excluding them from the criteria for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.
The government announced last year that all serving frontline emergency service workers with five years continual service would be awarded the special commemorative medal, but fire service call handlers would not be eligible for the honour.
The FBU has written to the Home Office urging that they rethink the decision and appealed to chief fire officers across the UK to voice their support for their fire control staff.
Mark Chapman, FBU Southern regional secretary, said:
“Fire control staff play a crucial role in the fire and rescue service and are a vital part of every firefighting operation. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to respond to incidents and keep our communities safe.
“Excluding them from this award shows the low regard from the Home Office for the important work that they do.
We urge them to rethink this decision and give our fire control staff the recognition that they deserve.”
