Grenfell Tower smoke from a distance

Exposed

On 3 January, a team of world leading fire scientists published research on firefighter health that made headline news. In black and white, printed on the front page of the Guardian, was a figure that was impossible to ignore: 1 in 4 firefighters who attended the Grenfell Tower fire are now...
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FBU welcomes transfer of fire from Home Office to MHCLG

By Michael Chessum
Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, today made a written statement confirming that responsibility for fire will move from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It reads: “On 4 September 2024 I announced that the Government would respond in full to the Grenfell...
Firefighters from across Europe hold an EPSU banner outside Trades Congress House

FBU hosts European firefighters’ network

Firefighters from across Europe met in London for the annual European Federation of Public Services Union (EPSU) Firefighters’ Network on 2 and 3 December. The event took place in TUC Congress house. Delegates discussed issues affecting their fire services and agreed a working plan for the network...
Firefighter standing in ruins of residential flats after cladding fire

FBU urges faster action on "disgraceful" cladding crisis

By Alice Dann
The government has today announced a plan for the removal of unsafe cladding. It comes as the House of Commons debates Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Under the plan, all 18m+ buildings must have been remediated by 2029, and all 11m+ buildings must have a date for remediation. Matt Wrack...

National Audit Office report on dangerous cladding

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Dear Brother/Sister National Audit Office report on dangerous cladding The National Audit Office published its report, Dangerous cladding: the government’s remediation portfolio, on 4 November. The...
FBU members on stage at rally holding Inverness FBU banner

Time to deliver

On Tuesday 8 October, with the new government barely 100 days old, around 1,000 firefighters gathered in central London for a national rally and lobby of parliament. It was a serious show of strength and dedication from FBU members. Our headline for the day was “rebuild our fire service”. This can...
Firefighter standing in ruins of residential flats after cladding fire

Dagenham: ‘It felt like it was raining fire’

Barrie Clement reports on another cladding blaze that could have ended in tragedy The call came through at 2.44am. Darren Placid, sub-officer at Romford fire station in east London, thought it sounded fairly routine. There was a fire outside a high rise building in nearby Dagenham. There was a...
Grenfell Tower from below

Grief, anger and vindication

The final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report blamed government and construction firms. Matt Wrack commends the public inquiry for finding systemic failures and says ministers must go further After seven long years the Grenfell Tower public inquiry finally published its report, blaming the fire on the...
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