Firefighter magazine, April May 2021
Reverse fire service cuts and prevent another avoidable tragedy like Banstead, say Surrey firefighters
There could be further avoidable loss of life in Surrey unless fire cuts are not reversed, firefighters have warned in a letter to the leader Surrey County Council, following a deadly fire in Banstead on Friday 19 March in which the first fire engine took 14 minutes to arrive. Cuts meant first fire...
England's fire services cut by £140m since 2016, new figures show
Chancellor must provide more money for the service in Spring Budget, FBU says. Government funding for fire and rescue services in England has been cut by £139.7m since 2016/17, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) can reveal, in new analysis of the 2021/22 local government finance settlement. Ministers...
FBU vows to fight on as Chancellor fails to deliver funding
The FBU has told its members to prepare for a tough battle ahead after Chancellor Rishi Sunak all but rebuffed the union’s campaign for urgent investment in the fire and rescue service and froze public sector pay. The union’s #FundTheFrontline campaign, launched in November, demanded the money to...
Invest in fire and rescue service or forget a green recovery, say climate groups and firefighters
Increased mass flooding events and record number of wildfires require more frontline firefighters As climate change has intensified, firefighter numbers in the UK have been fallen by 11,200 Greenpeace UK, Green New Deal UK, Friends of the Earth and Campaign Against Climate Change amongst groups...
Thousands lobby MPs to fund the frontline
More than 5,000 people have contacted their MP demanding funding for frontline firefighters and control staff, as the Chancellor plans to publish his spending review on 25 November. 92% of MPs representing every party in Parliament have been contacted in the FBU’s campaign spanning all four...
UK not ready for two national emergencies at once, firefighters warn
Fire and rescue services won’t be ready for major threats to the UK without more firefighters, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned, as new figures show brigades have faced the Covid-19 pandemic with 11,237 fewer firefighters than in 2010. We can’t fight incidents like mass-flooding and Covid-19...
Boris Johnson urged to deliver emergency funds to protect London from £20m of fire cuts.
London Fire Brigade faces £20m of cuts as part of Mayor of London’s £431m pandemic deficit plans New research finds London still has 1,177 fewer firefighters than in 2010, showing the city “still hasn’t recovered from the damage” inflicted when Boris Johnson was Mayor FBU warns that firefighters...
