Voluntary duties

Every year hundreds of delegates, elected from FBU brigades across the UK, travel to the union’s annual conference to democratically decide the union’s priorities, policies, and rules.  Firefighter reports on the main decisions and debates from the conference floor in Blackpool’s Imperial hotel this...

No firefighter joins the fire and rescue service to prevent people from protesting, says Mark Chapman, FBU Southern regional secretary. As a humanitarian service, our primary aim is to prevent suffering and loss caused by fires and other disasters. But in recent years, we have seen repeated...

The first report by the UK Covid-19 inquiry, published in July, confirmed the impact of austerity on pandemic preparedness. The inquiry is examining the state of the UK’s structures and procedures to plan for and respond to a pandemic. Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett concluded that: “The UK entered...

FBU members and officials organised monthly humanitarian trips this winter from the North West of England to the refugee camp at Calais in France. Firefighters from across Cumbria, Lancashire and Manchester got organised into delegations; putting a resolution to support Care4Calais, passed at FBU...

In the early hours of 6 February, massive 7.8 magnitude earthquakes hit southern Turkey near the Syrian border, bringing devastation to both countries. Buildings and huge swathes of cities were turned to rubble. Thousands of people were crushed to death, trapped in collapsed buildings, or instantly...