The Fire Brigades Union has voiced concerns that fire and rescue services may be exempted from health and safety laws after the government concludes a review of the legislation.

The Conservatives have already publicly stated their commitment to amending the Health and Safety at Work Act as far as the police are concerned, amid stories that in some cases safety rules have prevented police officers from carrying out their duties.

In an interview last month in the Times, Lord Young – who is heading the review – said: “Technically speaking, the firemen could say they wouldn’t go to a fire because it was too dangerous. We’ve just got to get sense back into the system.”

Lord Young has previously said he felt that exemption from health and safety rules should apply across “all the uniformed services”.

In a memo last week to FBU members, general secretary Matt Wrack hit out at the implication that firefighters might refuse to attend fires on the grounds of risk, stressing: “There is no evidence whatsoever that excessive health and safety regulation is, in any way, damaging the ability of the fire and rescue service to respond to emergency incidents.”

Mr Wrack pointed out that between February 1996 and October 2002 there were no recorded firefighter deaths at fires in the UK, yet between 2003 and 2007, 13 firefighters were killed in their work.

He continued: “Firefighters respond day in and day out to emergency incidents of all kinds. They have the right to demand the best training, equipment and resources to do so. The only thing threatening our emergency response is the seemingly endless drive to make cuts to frontline emergency cover.”

The FBU has formulated its concerns in a submission to Lord Young’s review and has also been invited to meet the Tory peer to discuss its position.

This story first appeared in our sister publication www.shponline.co.uk