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As over a 100,000 lie dead from Covid-19, and more die by the day, the importance of protecting workers and communities from this deadly virus has never been more vital.

But on Wednesday night, bosses in the fire and rescue service pulled the rug from underneath the very firefighters who have been helping the NHS and care sector through the pandemic.

For ten months, an agreement between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and employers has allowed firefighters to safely assist their communities through this crisis.

Despite losing the first firefighter to this deadly disease earlier in January, there have been relatively few infections in the fire and rescue service compared with other frontline services.

And that’s down to the work of FBU reps in every fire and rescue workplace ensuring safety measures are properly implemented.
Crucially, firefighters returning from high-risk environments must receive a negative test before they re-join colleagues at their fire station.

This has stopped firefighters from spreading the disease to the members of the public they assist and has prevented mass outbreaks among staff, protecting community fire cover.

But in recent weeks, it has become clear that bosses have no interest in protecting firefighters from spreading the disease. They decided they did not want firefighters to have to wait for a negative test result before returning to normal duties.

The FBU proposed a range of alternative safety measures, but employers rejected every single one.
And then on Wednesday evening, while FBU officials were still trying to find a compromise, fire service employers unilaterally withdrew from the agreement.

In my many years in the fire service and as a trade unionist, I have seen plenty of reckless actions from employers.

But to see a national employers’ body suddenly decide to remove agreed national safety standards and abdicate responsibility for firefighter safety in the middle of a pandemic must be a new low.

Make no mistake, this is a blatantly political action. Employers have been advised by the National Fire Chiefs Council, who in turn are in close communication with the Home Office.

This is a case of bosses and the Tory government choosing a time when communities are most vulnerable – and when firefighters want to do all they can to help – to stick the boot into a trade union.

The great tragedy is that this agreement was, until now, a model of how unions and employers can work together to ensure workers are safe – even in the most dangerous of situations.

We are proud to have supported firefighters to safely volunteer to help the NHS and care sector. But employers seem all too happy to throw it all away.