Firefighter magazine, April May 2020
3,000 fire and rescue personnel in coronavirus isolation as services pay the price for testing fiasco
Fire and rescue personnel urgently need coronavirus testing, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned, as services lose up to 12% of their firefighters and control staff to self-isolation. Nearly 3,000 fire and rescue staff are in self-isolation and unable to work, representing 5.1% of the UK’s...
Firefighters to fit face masks and deliver vital PPE and medical supplies to NHS and care staff
Fire and rescue personnel will fit face masks for frontline NHS and clinical care staff and deliver medical supplies to hospitals and care facilities during the coronavirus outbreak after an agreement was made by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) with fire chiefs and national employers. Under the...
300 London firefighters to help ambulance coronavirus response
Hundreds of firefighters have agreed to drive ambulances and assist paramedics to aid the London Ambulance Service’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The London Fire Brigade agreed on Wednesday that 300 firefighters would assist paramedics after last week’s national agreement between the Fire...
Organising during the COVID-19 crisis
With firefighters on the frontline continuing to keep the public safe during the COVID-19 crisis, it’s vital that FBU members’ voices and concerns are heard. Tam McFarlane, FBU national officer, shares the ways that FBU members can continue to organise throughout the pandemic. The FBU has been...
