The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is the main union for firefighters in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1918 in the London area as the Firemans Trade Union, but soon grew to cover the entire country. During the Second World War, it began to unionise auxilliaries for the first time. Today, it has around 50,000 members. Fire Brigades Union logo. ... Firefighter with an axe A firefighter, sometimes still called a fireman though women have increasingly joined firefighting units, is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fires, rescue people and in some areas provide emergency medical services. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Greater London and the Regions of England. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

Led by its then General Secretary Andy Gilchrist, the union called a strike over pay and conditions in 2002. This was partially successful, but has led to rank-and-file anger at the union's line. In late 2002, the UK firefighters union, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), voted to take strike action in an attempt to secure a better wage. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rank-and-file refers to the ordinary members of an organisation, excluding the officers or managers. ...

An expression of this anger was seen on May 5th 2005 when leftwinger Matt Wrack beat the incumbent General Secretary, Gilchrist, attaining 63.9% of the vote (12,883 votes). 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Finno-Ugric people, see Votes. ...

External links

FBU homepage (http://www.fbu.org.uk)