Union boss rages over betrayal of heroic hearth fighters who fought Grenfell blaze | EUROtoday

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A significant hearth in Dagenham final month which had the identical trigger because the Grenfell Tower tragedy proves that fireside fighters and the general public are nonetheless in danger from a significant blaze, a union boss has warned.

Matt Wrack, the final secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), advised The Independent that his members have been betrayed within the aftermath of the Grenfell catastrophe in addition to within the occasions resulting in the tragedy.

It comes after the London Fire Brigade was severely criticised for its lack of preparation for the catastrophe within the report introduced by Sir Martin Moore-Bick.

Mr Wrack described the 70 firefighters who turned as much as battle the blze and rescue individuals as “heroic” however stated the report confirmed that they’d not been correctly ready and there was no plan in place.

He is livid that fixed warnings in regards to the cladding on Grenfell Tower had been ignored within the 5 years earlier than the fireplace.

Mr Wrack advised The Independent: “When fire fighters arrived at Grenfell they expected a fire which would be contained in the building because that’s what they had been told. Instead it spread rapidly throughout the building and there was no plan to deal with it.

“We saw exactly the same thing happen just days ago in Dagenham where the same thing happened with the same cause because of outside cladding.

“The fact is that the fire at Grenfell would not have spread the same way if the building had been left in its original state. It was the modifications and cladding which caused the deaths and the report confirmed that.”

There are nonetheless greater than 3,000 buildings throughout the UK with the harmful ACM cladding which price so many individuals their lives.

Mr Wrack stated: “It is astonishing. The government has got to get on top of this. We cannot have any further delay.”

He needs residents to have their voices listened to in getting ready for hearth security but in addition strange hearth fighters “who have a great deal of frontline experience” not simply brigade managers.

He advised The Independent: “I feel fire fighters in London and around the country have been badly let down. They were heroic at Grenfell but we still see the same problems.”

Mr Wrack additionally insisted that the report “must be a turning point” within the push for deregulation within the constructing and building business.

The union chief, who can be president of the Trades Union Congress, stated he was “pleased that the deputy prime minister (Angela Rayner) joined me on a visit to Dagenham” to view the burnt out block of flats there.

But he stated: “The report is very clear that this contributed to the loss of lives at Grenfell. The deaths were a consequence of central government policy , ministers, secretaries of state and prime ministers.

“When we said at the time of the tragedy that deregulation was to blame we were accused of politicising it but we have been proven right.”

The Grenfell Tower hearth noticed 72 individuals lose their lives as the fireplace took maintain of the block.

The tragedy has been blamed on warnings being ignored by successive governments over 30 years, a breakdown in belief and communications between the individuals chargeable for the block and households, and dishonesty by building corporations.