NEWS
SECOND ANNUAL INCREASE IN
FIRE FATALITIES IS ‘HORRIFYING’
O
n 8th February, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU)
reacted to the release of new figures on fires and
fire deaths by describing both the rise in fires
for the second year running and the rise in fatalities as
‘horrifying’. Fire incidents have increased in England by
9% for the year ending September 2017, having already
increased the previous year (2015-2016).
The FBU said that more worrying still, fire fatalities have
also increased, even with the dreadful death toll of Grenfell
taken out of the statistic; 346 people in England died in
fires for the period, including Grenfell, compared with 253
the previous year. With the Grenfell deaths removed from
the total, there were still 22 more people dying in fires than
the year before.
These concerning increases have occurred against a
backdrop of severe cuts to the fire and rescue service,
which was cut by 30% between 2010- 2015, and with
another 15% of cuts being implemented between 2016-
17 and 2019-20, according to the Local Government
Settlement announcement earlier this month.
Matt Wrack, General Secretary of the FBU, said:
“All we hear from government when they attempt
justification of butchering the fire and rescue service is that
‘fires are down’ – this is now clearly no longer a claim they
can make. They wrote off last year’s rise in fires as a ‘blip’ –
what will they put it down to this year?
“It isn’t complicated – the fire and rescue service is cut
to the bone, and the result is more people dying in fires
because crews can no longer respond promptly and in
sufficient numbers to tackle fires professionally, quickly and
effectively. How many more rises in these worrying figures
before they join up the dots? How many more people are
going to have to die?
“On the day of the publication of these figures, we again
call for investment, not more cuts. We can’t make it any
plainer.”
See more at: www.fbu.org.uk
SAFETY REPS HONOURED FOR
‘GOING BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY’
U
NISON health and safety reps “go beyond the call
of duty,” general secretary Dave Prentis declared at
the union’s Safety Rep of the Year awards.
The awards ceremony at UNISON Centre in London
brought together health and safety reps from across the
country. The event also celebrated the positive difference
40 years of safety reps have made to ordinary people’s
working lives.
“Our safety reps go beyond the call of duty to keep
themselves, fellow members and the workplace as a whole
safer,” said Prentis. “And they should be commended for
that.”
8
HSE INTERNATIONAL
Margaret Davis from Eastern region and Adrian House
from the South West were the two safety reps of the year in
recognition if their “outstanding contribution to promoting
health and safety at work”. They were among 12 regional
winners in all, who were all praised for excellent health and
safety campaigns or contributions to keeping members
safe at work.
Speaking before winning the award, Davis said:
“This has been a total surprise to me.
“I always consider health and safety to be important and
continually strive to improve safety for all employees within
our organisation.”