This is the clarion call from the Home Secretary and Fire Minister, writing to chief fire officers last month. It is an upbeat letter with plenty of rf ognition of the efforts by fire and rescue services to support their local communities in the myriad ways set out in the tripartite agreements and beyond. It concludes: 'I know you will do all you can to ensure fire and rescue services play their part in responding to [the pandemic]. On behalf of the British people, we thank you'. The timing is interesting, as will become clear below. Getting involved in the roll-out of vaccinations is the latest in a series of Covid-related activities carried out by firefighters and other Fire and Rescue Service employees. It puts them squarely in the centre of the enormous efforts to get the UK back up and running to some semblance of normality. Anticipating approval of the vaccines, the National Fire Chiefs Council made it clear in November 2020 that they were fully supportive of firefighters assisting the roll-out. With the government allowing non-healthcare professionals to get involved, it meant that when the The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna vaccines through December and January, the Fire and Rescue Service could help right from the start.
展开▼
