Latest editorial
Firefighters tackle a large fire on Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire in April
FIREFIGHTERS have warned that the government’s complacency and patchy provisions for fire services means that crews are unprepared for another Grenfell-style tragedy.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said today that Tory fire minister Nick Hurd is to blame for failing to equip fire services to deal with incidents similar to the June 2017 blaze at Grenfell Tower, which claimed the lives of 72 people.
Some fire services would only be capable of sending two fire engines to a blaze in a high-rise block, evidence released by the union shows.
The FBU is demanding 52 weeks of full pay for women firefighters, highlighting the unique health risks they face — and the continuing need to recruit and retain more women if policies like this are still not in place, writes SEONA HART
When it comes to extreme weather events, from wildfires to flash floods, it’s firefighters who are on the front line of defence, but services have been cut to the bone, and government is not taking seriously its responsibility for the environment, says STEVE WRIGHT