News

"The LGA shares the Committee’s view that three years after the Grenfell Tower fire, the remediation of dangerous buildings is proceeding too slowly. Social landlords have been quick to address the issue, but progress in the private sector has been unacceptably slow."

Following the unprecedented Agreement reached on 26 March between the Fire Service National Employers, National Fire Chiefs Council and Fire Brigades Union, it has today been agreed to add a further three areas of work to reflect the scale of the national crisis and the urgency of the response required. Firefighters will be able to: Assist in taking samples for COVID-19 antigen testing Drive ambulance transport not on blue-lights (excluding known COVID-19 patients) to outpatient appointments or to receive urgent care Provide driving Instruction by FRS driver trainers to deliver training

For the first time, all three stakeholder groups have agreed a joint national approach to the crisis. The fire service organisations say that the measures in the agreement reflect the scale of the national crisis and the urgency of the response required. Under the agreement, firefighters will be able to:  Deliver essential items like food and medicines to vulnerable people Drive ambulances and assist ambulance staff Retrieve dead bodies, should the outbreak cause mass casualties Firefighters will continue responding to core emergencies, such as fires and road traffic collisions

“The LGA has been calling for councils and fire services to be given effective powers and meaningful sanctions to ensure residents are safe – and feel safe - in their homes."

A new report for fire and rescue services to help them respond to the climate emergency at a local level has been published by the Local Government Association today.

Cllr Ian Stephens, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Fire Services Management Committee, responds to the second tranche of a national report on fire and rescue services by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

Lord Porter, Chairman of the Local Government Association, responds to the announcement that the Government will pay for the replacement of flammable cladding on private tower blocks.

Unveiled this morning at the LGA’s Fire Conference in Gateshead, the LGA’s Fire Vision 2024 calls for 30 per cent of new recruits to be women by the middle of the next decade. Currently only 5 per cent of firefighters are women.

Councils with a combination of ACM cladding and insulation on their high-rise blocks have already taken steps and put in measures to reassure residents about safety.

The fire and rescue service is shaking off its outdated image in a major drive to change the public's perception of firefighters, a new report outlines today.