Bitter dispute ends as Greater Manchester's firefighters agree to respond to terror attacks

The region's firefighters are to get a pay rise after agreeing to extra training to respond to terror attacks. The move ends a bitter dispute and comes after a report by a government inspector in December claimed that Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service remained unprepared to respond effectively to a terrorist attack, four years after the Arena bombing.

At the inquiry into the bombing of Manchester Arena, GMFRS were severely criticised for its response on the night of the attack. Firefighters, including a team with specialist training for such an event, were held back from scene for two hours.

Now all firefighters in Greater Manchester and London have agreed to respond to Marauding Terrorist Attacks (MTA) after a ballot of members by the Fire Brigades Union - the only services in the UK to do so. Negotiations are continuing regarding other brigades. Until now, GMFRS firefighters had volunteered for specialist terror training.

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MTAs are incidents when terrorists with a firearm rampage through an area aiming to find and kill or injure as many as possible. If firefighters respond to MTA incidents, they may be asked to help with the evacuation of casualties as well as firefighting.

The agreements struck by GMFRS and London will see the provision of appropriate training and equipment. This equipment will include ballistic protection, including ballistic helmets and goggles.

As a result of the Mumbai attacks in 2008, the government approached the union to see if its members would be prepared to extend the role of the service and the role of the firefighter to engage in a new area of work - MTAs. The FBU stressed to