Stories & Articles
The Blog
Articles, behind-the-scenes features, video write-ups and community posts from the UK fire service world.
A Summer That Changed UK Firefighting: Is the Fire Service Ready for the New Normal?
Homes threatened, major incidents declared, the military deployed, and a national emergency alert sent to every phone in England and Wales. The 2026 wildfire season is not over — but it has already asked serious questions of UK fire and rescue services. This is what happened, and what needs to happen next.
Cheltenham West Night Cover Under Threat as Gloucestershire Reshuffles Crews to Cinderford
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue wants to end 24-hour cover at Cheltenham West and staff a new day-crewed station at Cinderford. The FBU calls it 'potentially deadly'; the Chief Fire Officer calls it aligning resources to risk. Here's both sides of a debate that could reshape fire cover across the county.
Dräger Joins UK Firefighter Hub as Strategic Partner
We're proud to welcome Dräger as a Strategic Partner of the UK Firefighter Hub — a collaboration built on education, operational insight and keeping firefighters safe on the incident ground.
Firefighters Call for Better Funding, Equipment and Pay as Major Wildfires Stretch UK Resources
As prolonged wildfires stretch crews and appliances across the UK, a serving firefighter's anonymous submission has put funding, kit, welfare and pay back under the spotlight.
Blackbushe Airport Fire & Rescue
Small Aerodrome. Big Responsibility. We went behind the scenes at Blackbushe Airport to understand what it really means to be a firefighter at a low category aerodrome.
Aviation Fire Training Symposium — Fire Service College, 1 October 2026
The Fire Service College is hosting a dedicated full-day Aviation Fire Training Symposium at Moreton-in-Marsh on 1 October 2026 — open to ARFF Managers, Fire Chiefs, and training professionals from across the UK and Europe. Attendance is free, including lunch and a Gala Dinner sponsored by Angloco.
You Told Us What's Broken: 185 Readers on the Retained Duty System
Better pay won by a landslide. But the surprise was the 5-minute rule — and the firefighters who say the system now demands wholetime commitment for on-call conditions. Here's what you said.
Is the Retained Duty System as We Know It Broken?
Recruitment and retention problems are deepening across the UK's on-call firefighter workforce. We examine whether the traditional model still fits modern living — with the data, sources, and questions that matter.
CERN Is Recruiting Firefighters — Here's How to Apply
CERN's Fire & Rescue Service is recruiting professional firefighters to protect one of the most advanced scientific facilities on Earth. Here's what the role involves — and how to apply.
35 Years On: Remembering Terry Hunt and David Stokoe — The Gillender Street Fire
On 10 July 1991, two firefighters from Silvertown entered a burning warehouse in Poplar to lay guide lines for their colleagues. They became lost in the maze-like interior and ran out of air. Thirty-five years on, we remember Firefighters Terry Hunt and David Stokoe.