Features

This summer saw more climate records broken. Riccardo la Torre says heatwaves, wildfires and other extreme weather have serious implications for firefighters and the public Firefighters face a cost of living crisis at home and a climate crisis at work. We are seeing, more than ever, homes...

As we prepare for the 1 November national rally, FBU general secretary Matt Wrack introduces the Firefighters’ Manifesto, which sets out our demands for our service, our profession and our conditions On 1 November, FBU members from across the UK will rally and march in Westminster to launch the...

Headlines about the NHS at breaking point have been written for years, but now the truth is far graver, says Professor Allyson Pollock, clinical professor of public health at Newcastle University What happens in the National Health Service matters to everyone, and not just because almost everyone in...

FBU assistant general secretary Ben Selby explains why the FBU is fighting for 12 months (or 52 weeks) of full-pay maternity leave How can it be right that a woman firefighter in Cornwall receives £15,000 less maternity leave pay than her equal in Derbyshire? Surely this is a case of stark...

FBU members in Scotland are organising to save their service from some of the worst cuts seen in modern times and are calling for UK-wide support for their campaign, says Colin Brown, EC member for Scotland Following the announcement of a five-year “flat cash” budget last year, the Scottish Fire and...

....questions on kit, training, resources and shortages of firefighters are looming larger. Firefighters across the UK face a postcode lottery when it comes to levels of equipment and training for tackling a rapidly growing threat, writes Helen Hague The warnings from the Met Office are stark...

Matt Wrack says the official report on a major wildfire incident is a damning indictment of the effect of cuts and failures of leadership 19 July 2022 will go down as one of the most memorable dates in the history of the London Fire Brigade (LFB). It was certainly one of the busiest days in LFB’s...

FBU national officer Riccardo la Torre says a united movement of resistance can render the anti-strike law inoperable Thousands of protesters, including FBU members from across the country, congregated in London’s Parliament Square on Monday 22 May to demonstrate growing anger as the Conservative...

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, explains why the union is preparing for the next general election Firefighters and other workers across the UK face a political watershed within the next 18 months. There has to be a general election by January 2025. Some speculate that it might be called this...

Francis Beckett meets Dave Badillo, who was on the first fire engine at Grenfell Tower six years ago, and who will not be silent about the disaster and the reasons for it Six years on, Dave Badillo still finds the night of the Grenfell fire hard to talk about. He’s had enough practice. He was in the...