The LibDems might explore the possibility of a policy of putting the fire service into the independent sector. There are various models which could be considered. One is that of the LifeBoats (RNLI), a charity which works under a Royal Charter and is run by volunteers on the front line but with paid headquarters staff. Another is that of mutualisation, the John Lewis model. The need for reform is highlighted by the practice of firemen taking second jobs, which is not a trope of the right-wing media but a fact about a self-serving, over-politicised and reactionary labour force.
In November 2015 the Fire Brigades Union re-affiliated with the UK Labour Party due to the union’s backing of the party’s new leader Jeremy Corbyn and his commitment to so-called anti-austerity politics. John McDonnell, Corbyn’s far-left shadow chancellor, lends the FBU support in Parliament. The fire service staff have a right to strike which they do not scruple to exercise.
The FBU routinely campaigns not only against financial austerity but Government measures in the field of fire safety. It may claim to have expertise in such matters but, like the transport unions’ disruptive action purporting to be on grounds of safety, there will always be questions about the credibility of the FBU’s stance. For example, the FBU has denounced the apparently dangerous policy of not requiring the installing of sprinklers in new schools, but the Government’s own policy on fire safety in schools puts a different complexion on the matter.
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