Fury as fire union stalls over terror training deal
VITAL plans for firefighters to help deal with the aftermath of a Paris-style massacre are in jeopardy because of a row between Left-wing union bosses and Ministers.
The Government wants thousands of firefighters on standby to put out fires and rescue victims if extremists carried out mass shootings.
But the Fire Brigades Union has refused to agree any national or local deals over fears its members’ lives would be at risk, leaving only a small number of volunteers to take up the necessary training so far.
Last night, Government insiders condemned the hardline union – which is likely to re-affiliate with Labour after backing Jeremy Corbyn for leader – for its stance at a time when national security was at risk.
A senior Whitehall source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Following the recent atrocities, public safety is the No1 priority. The FBU must play its part ensuring there are robust resilience plans in place to deal with any emergency. The FBU needs to stop playing politics with such an important issue.’
The fire service was identified as an important part of the emergency response to attacks in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, when Islamists went on a gun rampage through the Indian city, killing more than 150 people. In Britain, contingency planners created the role of Fire Special Operations Teams (FSOTs) who would wear bulletproof armour and helmets. The specially trained units would be on standby around the clock, and in the event of an attack would be sent in to the ‘warm zone’ as soon as the gunmen had been tackled by police.
But the union says it is a ‘new burden’ and needs government funding for ‘training, equipment, insurance and additional automatic compensation payments’. A spokesman for FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said the union was keen for members to take part in the work if the correct procedures were in place.