Health and Safety

The long fight to ban toxic foam

11 May, 2018 By Helen Hague

Lifesaving fire safety regulations are a legacy of a 1979 fire in Manchester that lives on today - unlike the 10 people who died in the disaster, writes Helen Hague. On 8 May 1979, toxic fumes from plastic foam-filled furniture killed 10 people and left 47 injured in the Woolworths store in...

Firefighters can act now on exposure to contaminants

01 May, 2018 By William Murphy

The risk of exposure to cancer-causing contaminants at fires can be reduced with the adoption of simple procedures. Shaun Williams remembers that, when he was a child in 1976, his retained firefighter father, Gareth, was paged to respond to a large 20-pump forest fire in Snowdonia, North Wales. He...

Saving lives, protecting our people

20 Apr, 2018 By Sean Starbuck

Firefighters, as a result of their work, are exposed to contaminants that cause cancer. Sean Starbuck reports on an international firefighter conference that shows prevention is possible and that, when this fails, compensation is needed --- THE ISSUE of occupational cancer drew around 100...

Firefighter magazine, April/May 2018

17 Apr, 2018

Contaminants, the dangers they pose and what firefighters can do to protect themselves is the key theme of the latest issue of Firefighter magazine. FBU national officer Sean Starbuck reports on an international conference convened to tackle the issue of firefighters being exposed to cancer-causing...

Firefighter magazine

Isle of Wight council warned against adopting fire service proposals over safety fears

13 Apr, 2018 By Anna Zych

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is urging the Isle of Wight’s council cabinet to reject a controversial review of the fire service that would put public safety at risk. The fire service review contains plans to cut the number of firefighters in a crew from five to four as well as axing 15% of the...

Grenfell Tower Inquiry - support for FBU members

27 Mar, 2018

Circular ref

2018HOC0198MW

Dear Brother/Sister Grenfell Tower Inquiry - support for FBU members This circular is for the attention of all FBU members who may have attended the Grenfell Tower incident or may have been involved...

Cut in number of firefighters serving on fire engines is a threat to life, says firefighters' union

02 Jan, 2018 By infobo

Public safety is being put at risk as a result of a staffing shake-up at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service which will see fewer firefighters on fire engines, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned. The union says there will be ‘dangerous delays’ in the time it takes for firefighters to carry...

Firefighters' union wins right to challenge dangerously long working patterns

17 Nov, 2017 By Anna Zych

The High Court has made the decision to allow a judicial review early in 2018 into a shift pattern that sees firefighters spend 96 hours straight on duty. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU), who sought the review, wholeheartedly welcome the court’s decision. They say these long shifts, known as the...

Could the London Fire Brigade cope with another King's Cross fire in 2017?

16 Nov, 2017 By infobo

Capability to cope with a repeat of the King’s Cross fire could potentially be severely hampered by cuts to life saving fire and rescue service resources in the capital, according to information collated by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in the run up to the 30th anniversary of the King’s Cross fire...

PTSD: The signs to watch out for

05 Oct, 2017 By Maurice Richmond

As the tragedy of Grenfell unfolded in front of the nation’s eyes, the bravery of the hundreds of firefighters battling the tower block blaze was there for all to see. What remains unseen however, is the traumatic aftermath for those who waded into the Kensington fire, and the possibility of it...

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