THE Fire Brigades Union has warned of an urgent need to test fire and rescue workers as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

The FBU said nearly 3,000 fire and rescue staff are in self-isolation and unable to work, representing 5.1 per cent of the UK’s overall fire and rescue workforce.

Just under 2,600 of them are operational firefighters and control staff, making up 5.3 per cent of the total.

The FBU said emergency fire control rooms, which have fewer staff, have been worst hit in some areas. It said that in West Yorkshire, 15.9 per cent of control staff are in isolation.

Just under five per cent of all West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service staff are in isolation, while the figure stands at 5.7 per cent for firefighters and control staff.

In North Yorkshire, nearly four per cent of all staff are in isolation and 4.2 per cent of firefighters and control staff.

The union has said that, without urgent testing of frontline personnel, there will inevitably be an impact on brigades’ ability to provide fire cover and respond to other emergencies, including their work supporting the coronavirus response. 

In a letter to Security Minister James Brokenshire, the FBU said: "Priority access to tests for frontline firefighters and control Staff will be vital to avoid exacerbating workforce shortages by forcing many fire service staff to stay off work, potentially unnecessarily.

"Not only would our members who test negative be able to safely return to work, significantly reducing the burden on fire & rescue service resources, but it would also significantly reduce the risk of any infected frontline staff potentially transmitting the virus to vulnerable members of the public.

"Individuals who test positive would also be safe in the knowledge that they would not catch the virus again, making both negative and positive results useful in any emergency planning and resourcing.

"I would therefore ask you to consider urgently providing the resources and funding necessary to make the early testing of all fire and rescue service staff an immediate priority. Further to this, and by way of the same reasoning, I would request that firefighters and control Staff are included in any priority, key worker groups to receive vaccination as and when any vaccination is developed."

In a reply on March 25, Mr Brokenshire said: "This is clearly an important issue for a range of critical workers, We are actively working with Public Health England, the Health and Safety Executive and NFCC (National Fire Chiefs Council)  on this issue and will update colleagues through the NFCC as soon as possible on the position."

As emergency fire control staff handle 999 calls and provide vital fire survival guidance for millions of people from a single room, there are fears emergency call infrastructure for an entire region could be at risk. 

Some firefighters are now driving ambulances and assisting ambulance staff, delivering food and medicines to vulnerable people and and working with the police to move dead bodies.

Firefighters will now also be able to fit masks and respirators for NHS staff and deliver Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to NHS trusts, after a further agreement was reached last Thursday.

While the FBU has called for firefighters to cease all non-essential, non-emergency interactions with the public, the union said they will continue to come into contact in emergency situations and as part of their coronavirus response work, placing them at greater risk of infection.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “The Westminster government is playing with fire by not testing firefighters and control room staff for coronavirus. Currently, crews are maintaining services, but this will become increasingly difficult as the virus spreads.

“There are already thousands of firefighters and control staff in self-isolation, only a fraction of which will have the disease. If we aren’t able to find out exactly who is infected, and more staff isolate unnecessarily, services will be put on a dangerous knife-edge.

“Of course testing of NHS staff has to be a priority, but firefighters and other emergency service personnel are also at serious risk. The very safety of the public relies on them being able to attend work.

"There needs to be a clear and deliverable testing strategy for all workers required to continue at work."

He added that ministers need to ensure all emergency service personnel are tested as soon as possible.