Fire unions accused of hindering rollout

THE fire service has been prevented from assisting with the vaccine rollout by “hindrance” trade unions that have ordered members not to help, a watchdog has warned.

Fire bosses and union officials are locked in negotiations over whether firefighters can contribute to efforts to tackle coronavirus, according to Zoë Billingham, Her Majesty’s Inspector of the Fire and Rescue Services.

In a report, Ms Billingham warned that the national fight against coronavirus was being “thwarted” by trade union barriers.

In Manchester, firefighters recently faced a 12-week delay to start knocking on the doors of those whom Test and Trace was struggling to contact.

There have also been problems arranging for firefighters to help other emergency services gain entry to buildings where people were thought to be incapacitated after contracting coronavirus, inspectors said.

Ms Billingham said that the working arrangements between the fire and rescue service National Employers and the

Fire Brigades Union prevented some firefighters from “maximising the support they could provide”, and that the agreement had become “more of a hindrance”. She said firefighters were being offered “exactly” the same protections as other emergency workers.

The findings of her inspection, which looked at the response of all 45 fire and rescue services in England to the pandemic, called for leaders to remove “unnecessary barriers preventing firefighters from providing further support when it is so desperately needed.” The FBU has been contacted for comment.