Firefighters in row over changes to terror attack response

Greater Manchester force fury amid claim they are expected to work across country.

- NEAL KEELING

FIREFIGHTERS are in dispute over 'unagreed' changes to how they respond to terrorist attacks.

A mass meeting of Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members was held in Manchester on Friday to address the issue.

FBU national leader Matt Wrack spoke at the event. The wrangle centres on Greater Manchester crews now being expected to respond to attacks elsewhere in the UK. The union says chief fire officers (CFOs) across the country should not be reliant on Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) crews for a service they should be providing and funding themselves The FBU is also concerned that waiting for crews from our region to reach the location of an attack could cost lives. Union chiefs have slammed the plans as 'shameful.

Greater Manchester's Chief Fire Officer Dave Russel said cross-border working was 'an important part of safe and effective fire and rescue provision; adding: "Our frontline colleagues have told us that no one in our service would ever want to stand by when people are at risk of harm, suffering or death, or when responders in other areas are at risk of being overwhelmed." In 2022, the region's firefighters got a pay rise after agreeing to extra training to respond to terror attacks.