National rally | The Firefighters' Manifesto: our service, our future

On Wednesday 1 November, firefighters from all over the country will descend on Westminster to take our message to politicians.

Our national rally will start at 12 noon.

***If you can make your own way there, register here. Or get in touch with your Brigade official to organise attendance.***

We will be unveiling a Firefighters’ Manifesto to demand:
1. Investment: stop and reverse the cuts to jobs
2. Fair pay: delivered through collective bargaining
3. National standards: on response times and crewing
4. A voice for firefighters: a new forum to set policy and standards
5. Climate action: a service fit for floods and extreme weather events
6. Democratic public service: accountable to our communities
7. Equality: an inclusive service, open to everyone
8. Decon: health monitoring and recognition of occupational disease
9. The right to strike: scrap the anti-union laws
10. Occupational pensions: recognising the realities of firefighting

Be there. Be proud. Be heard.

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Every day, firefighters save lives. They run towards dangers when others are running away.

But the fire and rescue service is in crisis. One in five firefighter jobs have been cut since 2010, and real terms pay is down by at least 12%. Every year, it gets harder to do our jobs.

While extreme weather events get more common, our resources have been cut. While firefighters die from cancer, the UK is decades behind other countries on tackling fire contaminants.

Firefighters have had enough. Last year’s pay campaign showed that when we stand together, we can shift our employers and the government.

But now we need to do something much bigger: we need to win a future for the fire and rescue service.

It is likely that there will soon be a change of government, and we have an unprecedented opportunity to put forward our case for jobs, investment and a fire and rescue service that is fit for the future.