Skip to main content
NEU Senior Industrial Organiser
Our treatment of firefighters is now a global scandal
Research at the highest level has shown firefighters are exposed to cancer-causing agents in the line of duty — but unlike many other countries we are not taking necessary steps to address this, writes LUKE FLETCHER MS

LAST FEBRUARY, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to throw myself into some of the extensive training undertaken by our fire and rescue services.

I joined the South Wales Fire and Rescue team who invited me to the Cardiff Gate training centre and Bridgend fire station where I attempted search-and-rescue drills in cramped, smoke-filled rooms and mazes of confined crawl spaces, all in complete darkness.

Needless to say, I left both experiences with a renewed appreciation for what our service people do day in and day out. One thing was abundantly clear to me: we are incredibly lucky to have such a skilled group of people who are willing to go above and beyond while putting themselves at risk.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomes American President George W Bush to the first meeting of the G8 Summit at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, July 7, 2005
Features / 26 June 2025
26 June 2025

While Hardie, MacDonald and Wilson faced down war pressure from their own Establishment, today’s leadership appears to have forgotten that opposing imperial adventures has historically defined Labour’s moral authority, writes KEITH FLETT

Firefighter officers running through a practice drill during a London Fire Brigade facility at Poplar Fire Station in London
Features / 7 May 2025
7 May 2025

The FBU is demanding 52 weeks of full pay for women firefighters, highlighting the unique health risks they face — and the continuing need to recruit and retain more women if policies like this are still not in place, writes SEONA HART

HELD IN CONTEMPT: Elbit has faced a long campaign of sabotag
Features / 4 April 2025
4 April 2025
Israel’s number one death dealer supplying the IDF in its murderous campaigns against the Palestinians is now actively wining and dining our military top brass, looking to flog its blood-soaked wares, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with French President Emmanu
Features / 7 March 2025
7 March 2025
CARLOS MARTINEZ condemns Europe’s failure to develop genuine autonomy from US hegemony, as leaders like Starmer and Macron cling to a declining imperial order rather than building good relations with the emerging powers