Environment

Governments must ‘heed stark warning’ of Scottish wildfire visible from space says FBU

01 Jun, 2023 By Alice Dann

This week, firefighters have battled a wildfire that started burning on Sunday afternoon near Cannich, south of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. 1,500 hectares have burned so far, with images of the 22-mile long plume of smoke captured by NASA from space. Two firefighters injured tackling the...

UKISAR Turkey and Syria earthquake rescue

Alive from the rubble

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...

New report shows firefighters exposed to PFAS chemicals - FBU responds

04 Apr, 2023 By Alice Dann

A new report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulator has produced more evidence that firefighters are exposed to PFAS chemicals in firefighting foam. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are also known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not naturally break down. These...

Matt at select committee November 2022 2

“Absolutely and utterly untrue”: Matt Wrack replies to misleading comments on FBU’s Covid role in Parliament

14 Nov, 2022 By Ben Duncan-Duggal

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack gave evidence to the Home Affairs select committee in Westminster last week. The select committee is made up of MPs. Matt gave evidence on a range of current issues in the fire and rescue service including pay and conditions, wildfires and climate change, Grenfell...

Summer heatwave London 2022 credit Paul Wood

Climate: government is asleep at the wheel

As world leaders gather once again to discuss the climate crisis, Helen Hague looks at its impact on a UK fire service crippled by cuts Photo: Paul Wood July saw the temperature in parts of the UK exceeding 40 degrees centigrade for the first time in recorded history. In the driest July since 1935...

Wildfires: fire service bosses are guilty of “sabotage by inaction” and are “making excuses"

12 Aug, 2022 By Ben Duncan-Duggal

Firefighters have reacted angrily to a series of statements made by several chief fire officers which clearly have been written in order to downplay the impact of under-resourcing on their response to wildfire incidents. Firefighters are incensed that chief fire officers and other fire and rescue...

FBU raises shortage fears as wildfires on the horizon again

09 Aug, 2022 By Ben Duncan-Duggal

The Fire Brigades Union has warned that the fire service continues to be understaffed and needs huge investment, with another heatwave set to hit this week. The last heatwave, in July, saw firefighters fighting wildfires across the country, including in Wennington, East London, where two rows of...

Firefighters respond to fire service inspection reports

26 Jul, 2022 By Anna Zych

Firefighters have responded to the latest release of inspection reports for fire and rescue services in England, which have been released today. This tranche of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) reports consists of fifteen fire and rescue service...

Firefighters on frontline of heatwave, incidents expose fire service wrecked by government policy

20 Jul, 2022 By Anna Zych

Firefighters on frontline of heatwave, incidents expose fire service wrecked by government policy As the UK experiences record heat, firefighters and control staff have been stretched to the limit, responding to wildfires and other incidents as the country faces record temperatures. 15 fire and...

“Will be too much to deal with”: FBU responds to IPCC climate change flooding and extreme heat warning

01 Mar, 2022 By Ben Duncan-Duggal

The FBU has responded to a new UN report on climate change by stating that much more needs to be done on climate change in terms of both prevention and adapting to its devastating impacts. The report, released yesterday and from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, suggests that...

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