Health and Safety

Firefighters have warned the government that cutting provisions that help low income families replace old and unsafe electrical goods could increase the risk of fire and fatalities. The government is currently consulting on a cut to funding for the local welfare provision (the successor scheme to...

A man who suffered a heart attack in front of a picket line, during the recent four day strike over the government’s pension plans, has thanked firefighters for saving his life. Michael Johnson, 49, collapsed outside Darlington fire station leaving quick thinking firefighters to grab trauma...

Reacting to proposals to axe Oxfordshire fire control and move services to a combined Thames Valley control room Sharon Riley, FBU executive council member for Control, said: “These proposals are ill thought out and an insult to the professionalism of our members working in Oxfordshire Fire Control...

Firefighters in England today announced a significant escalation of strike action, with four days of strikes commencing on 31 October until 4 November. This follows a refusal from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to bring any new offer to the table over pensions, despite...

Reacting to the fire at Didcot B power station where firefighters worked overnight to contain the blaze and secure the site Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “Firefighters worked brilliantly throughout the night to tackle a very dangerous fire that had the potential to cost human life. “I’d...

Trevor Shanahan, FBU union learning fund project manager, said: “The FBU ULF Team, working in partnership with West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, have been raising awareness of Dyslexia in the workplace and promoting good practice in supporting employees who have dyslexia. “Out of this...

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority has pushed through cuts that they accept will impact on 999 emergency response times, putting the public at risk, and lead to 34 job losses. The local fire authority voted to cut two retained fire engines and will reduce the number of firefighters on...

Reacting to the news that London Assembly members have rejected plans by Boris Johnson to lock out striking firefighters for entire shifts, Paul Embery, secretary for the FBU in London, said: “We are pleased that the London fire authority voted to reject the proposals to lock striking firefighters...

Firefighters have warned the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, that any attempt to lock them out of stations as punishment for taking strike action will jeopardise public safety and inflame the ongoing national dispute over fire service pensions. The warning comes as the London Fire and Emergency...

Firefighters have voiced their anger at plans to close Allerton fire station in what is being described by the FBU as a “callous cost-cutting exercise” by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. The proposal, which is subject to a 12 week public consultation, will add to the number of threatened fire...