Firefighter dies and another seriously injured in Edinburgh pub fire

A firefighter has died while tackling a blaze in an Edinburgh pub.

More than 20 people, including a baby, had to be rescued from the multi-storey tenement block above the Balmoral in Dalry Road.

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue (LBFR) said the firefighter died after a floor collapsed on the basement bar.

Another firefighter was taken to the Royal Edinburgh Infirmary with non-life threatening injuries. The blaze broke out shortly after midnight.

The fire service was alerted at 12.38am and officers arrived to find a “severe” fire raging in the bar.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8146354.stm

The condolences of the Isle of Wight branch of the FBU goes to the family of the deceased and his injured colleague.

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Firefighter Fatalities – Response to PLP Briefing

Firefighter Fatalities – Response to Parliamentary Labour Party Briefing

25 November 2008

TO:   ALL LABOUR MP’S 

 

Dear Member of Parliament

FIREFIGHTER FATALITIES – RESPONSE TO PLP BRIEFING

On 10 November the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) published our report, In the Line of Duty, on Firefighter fatalities over the past 30 years. The report has been well received within the Fire and Rescue Service and by the public as a serious contribution to a serious matter.

The FBU was therefore saddened to see a Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) briefing in the name of Hazel Blears, purporting to be a response to the report. The briefing puts up straw arguments that are not found in the FBU report or other FBU publications. The briefing is riddled with factual mistakes and errors of omission. The FBU believes it is an insult to the memory of Firefighters who have died on duty and is an underhand attack on the integrity of the Union.

The FBU is disappointed by the Minister’s response. We gave the CLG and the Chief Fire Adviser sight of our report 48 hours prior to its publication. In the report we acknowledge the help provided by CLG and other Government bodies in compiling the data. The Union made the CLG’s own published and unpublished figures available in our report. We have engaged in constructive discussion around the report through official channels such as the Practitioners Forum (of Fire Service stakeholders) to advance workable solutions.

We had hoped to progress a range of important issues. However the Minister appears to have dismissed our report without reading it carefully. The FBU therefore feels justified in responding to the briefing, and asks Labour MPs to make up their own minds.

The Facts

The briefing states that Firefighter fatalities remain “very low” and average less than two per year over the last twenty years. The FBU report, based on figures provided by Government bodies and local Fire and Rescue Services found that on average four Firefighters have died annually across the whole of the UK over that period.

The PLP briefing minimises the figures by:

• Only looking at data for England, and excluding Firefighter deaths in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Only including operational deaths, thereby excluding Firefighters who have died in training and in some cases from heart attacks while at work.
• In one case, excluding a Fire Service photographer in East Sussex who died in an explosion in 2006.

The long run average also masks a recent worsening in the Firefighter deaths. The 8 Firefighter deaths in 2007 made it the worst year since 1985.  The Warwickshire fire in 2007 was the worst single instance of Firefighter deaths since 1972.  From the 1970s until the turn of the Century, the trend in Firefighter deaths was clearly downwards. However the last five years has seen a sharp increase, which the Minister ought to acknowledge and act upon.

Between 2003 and 2007, at least 21 Firefighters died at work across the UK. Over the previous five year period (1998-2002), 13 Firefighters died at work. Between 2003 and 2007, at least 16 Firefighters died during operational duty. Over the previous five year period (1998-2002), 5 Firefighters died during operations. This represents clear grounds for concern.

Between 2003 and 2007, at least 13 Firefighters died at fires. Over the previous five year period (1998-2002), 1 Firefighter died at a fire. As the briefing points out, members of the public dying in house fires has fallen in recent years. There are fewer house fires. These improvements are due to the efforts and expertise of Firefighters. However these improvements contrast starkly with the increased number of Firefighters killed.

The FBU believes that the increase in Firefighter deaths is significant. We expected the Minister to at least show some contrition. Instead the briefing said that “the numbers of Firefighter deaths remain very low – too low for a trend to be apparent”. That will come as little consolation to the families who have lost their loved ones, or to Firefighters who have lost their colleagues.

Lessons

The briefing claims that “we” (presumably the CLG, rather than the PLP) works closely with the Fire and Rescue Service and other agencies such as the Health and Safety Executive “to ensure any lessons are learnt and shared across all services“. It claims the findings of independent reports and coroner’s recommendations are implemented.

The FBU report catalogues a number of key recommendations made between 1992 and 2006 which have not been acted upon. Lessons learned in the 1990s seem to have been overlooked in incident after incident that has resulted in Firefighter deaths. There are currently no adequate mechanisms for ensuring that the lessons from fatalities and near misses are translated into operational improvements.

Again and again investigation reports point to:

• Failures in the risk assessment process.
• Failures in training for incident commanders and for ordinary Firefighters.
• Concerns with equipment and its use.
• Concerns about crewing levels. 

These are all organisational and managerial failures that can be remedied. With the right procedures and practices, these deaths could have been prevented. These are the issues that should be exercising the Minister.

The PLP briefing claims that 40 pieces of guidance are in development. The FBU has heard this promise again and again over the past five years. Many others in the Fire and Sescue service share these concerns. On 15 April 2008, a paper was submitted to Practitioners’ Forum by Ken Knight, the Chief Fire Advisor. It stated: “… there is an urgent need to progress matters in respect of operational doctrine as it is recognised that a gap has emerged over the last few years and further delay is not acceptable“.

The FBU has contributed to consultations, produced our own reports and supported Firefighter families through inquests. Firefighters expect national guidance is disseminated and implemented with more urgency in the light of these deaths.

National Resilience

The briefing states that “decisions made by local politicians and practitioners to local circumstances are more effective than blanket requirements across the country“. With regard to Firefighter deaths over the last five years, the evidence does not bear this out. Modernisation has not brought progress with respect to Firefighter safety.

Neither the FBU nor anyone else in the Service is seeking “blanket requirements”. Guidance emanating from any level has to be interpreted and implemented according to conditions on the ground. However universal and comprehensive standards of good practice do assist Firefighters and other professionals in carrying out their duties as safely as possible. The success of Health and Safety at Work legislation in reducing work-related fatalities over the past 35 years is testament to that.

The FBU also rejects the fragmentation implied by the Minister’s response. On matters from fires to floods and terrorism, the public expects the Fire and Rescue Service to respond as a united body. At major incidents Firefighters from across the UK have come together to rescue victims. For genuine national resilience in the face of these challenges, Firefighters and the Fire Service need consistency. 

A key recommendation in the FBU report is the establishment of an independent body to investigate incidents such as deaths, injuries and near misses, as well as issue binding guidance on safety critical and related matters. The briefing states that the Minister is “happy to look at the possibility of a central body undertaking some of these functions“. The FBU will provide whatever assistance is required to ensure such an independent body is established at the earliest possible moment.

Local Issues

The FBU supports efforts to prevent fires and other incidents through work in communities. It is our members who carry out the home fire risk checks, teach the young people about the Fire Service and hand out the fire alarms. However communities also require a satisfactory emergency response from Firefighters every time it is required. Prevention is vital. But there is no substitute for emergency intervention by highly trained and properly equipped Firefighters. 

The briefing claims that CLG has provided support and funding for training. However the detailed Operational Assessment of Service Delivery reports completed in 2006 indicate serious shortcomings with the quantity and quality of training, which has a direct impact on Firefighter safety. Training for breathing apparatus, hot fire training and building construction are all identified in these reports as causes for concern in some local Fire and Rescue Services.

 Nor has the situation been remedied since then. The results of an FBU survey in August 2008, contained in our report, found that Firefighters are deeply dissatisfied with the operational training they receive, and believe their safety is at risk. Frontline professionals have voiced their concerns. Instead of spinning, the Minister should be listening to Firefighters, digesting the findings of the report and acting on its recommendations.

We trust MPs will read our report and be moved to do something about it. We hope you will sign the Early Day Motion 2440 on Firefighter Safety and support the Union’s case for a safer, more professional Fire and Rescue Service.

Yours sincerely

 

MATT WRACK

GENERAL SECRETARY

cc:    Hazel Blears MP – Secretary of State (CLG)

        Sadiq Khan MP – Minister for Fire – (CLG)

        Shona Dunn – Director – Fire & Resilience Directorate (CLG)

 

Download CIRCULAR:2008HOC0933MW as a Word Document here.