Fire union issues statement ahead of Shirley Towers blaze inquest (From Daily Echo)
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Fire union issues statement ahead of Southampton tower block blaze inquest
5:10am Monday 18th June 2012 in News By Echo Reporter
THE Fire Brigades Union says the inquest into the deaths of Alan Bannon and Jim Shears will be “harrowing” for all involved.
Ahead of the hearing, which is due to start today, FBU executive council member Karl Horan said: “Nothing can bring our lost colleagues back and nothing will lessen the pain of their loss. However we owe a duty to the firefighters going into burning buildings today to learn lessons and make their work as safe as possible.
“Firefighting can never be a health and safety free zone, quite the opposite. The more dangerous the working environment the greater standards of health and safety are required to stay safe.
“In the history of the modern fire service our greatest advances in firefighter safety have come from learning and applying the lessons of tragedies. No matter how painful that process may be it is important to fully understand what happened at Shirley Towers and to learn the lessons.”
The Fire Brigades Union is providing legal assistance to the families of Alan and Jim at the inquest.
