Due to the nature of firefighting, it should come as no surprise that firefighters face life-threatening risks whilst working to serve and protect the public. They face increased on-the-job fatality rates, high levels of carbon monoxide, heat, flames, physical and mental trauma, and countless other exposure risks. But it doesn’t end there. Recent studies have revealed the association between firefighting and a higher risk of developing cancer. With that in mind, it’s fair to say that all firefighters have a far greater chance of experiencing sickness, injury, disease and death. Firefighters are some of the most heroic men and women in the professional world, and they deserve to be recognised for their courage and bravery. Ideally, those who work in the emergency services would be paid the same as footballers - if not, more - but what I am asking for is the government to consider raising the salaries of firefighters, across the UK, with a 25 percent pay-rise. For a line of work that comes with so many health risks, we undervalue them by not paying them enough. And this includes other positions (crew managers, watch managers, group managers and area managers) within the fire service industry. As it currently stands, the average annual salary for a junior firefighter is £21,157 and rises to £28,199 once fully qualified as a ‘competent’ firefighter. Do you think a firefighter's current wage matches up to the responsibilities and risks involved in firefighting? If you disagree with the current wage for firefighters and agree that all serving firefighters deserve a pay-rise of 25 percent, then please sign and share!
Let’s show the Tory government we care about firefighters.
