Britain | No smoke, no fire

Not even covid-19 has dented firefighters’ resistance to change

They were willing to help during the pandemic. But not much

Mar 25th 2021

WHEN THE pandemic hit, firefighters acted as ambulance drivers to relieve pressure on the NHS. But there were limits to their union’s willingness to help out: under a deal with local authorities, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) agreed that its members would deliver food to vulnerable people but not check on their welfare. The deal expired in January, and the union has since urged its members not to volunteer individually to help with the vaccine roll-out. A report from the national inspectorate on March 17th noted that the so-called “grey book”, which sets the terms and conditions for firefighters, has not been updated since 2009 and leaves “little room for services to adapt quickly and provide firefighters with necessary flexibility”.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “No smoke, no fire”