MOVES by safety regulators to investigate a new breathing apparatus policy branded “dangerous, irresponsible and one of the biggest threats to firefighters’ health and safety in decades” were welcomed by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) today.

Assistant general secretary Ben Selby praised the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for “seeing sense and deciding to investigate this issue properly,” more than a year after the union first raised serious concerns. 

The FBU described how, in high-rise blazes, fire crews establish a “bridgehead” in a safe position within the building.