[8] In July 1991, whilst North East London Area Secretary of the FBU, Wrack attended the fatal fire at Gillender Street at which two firefighters, Terry Hunt and David Stokoe were killed.

The FBBL emerged with the background of the 1984/85 miners strike and during campaigns against the abolition of metropolitan county councils by the then Conservative government.

In early 2000, Wrack was closely involved in the campaign around the FBU Homerton 11, eleven members who were suspended from work and disciplined by the London Fire Brigade management.

Wrack and Andy Dark (current FBU Assistant General Secretary) acted as the principal disciplinary representatives whilst also working to build the wider campaign.

[15] Wrack stood for re-election in 2010 and was challenged by John McGhee, a longstanding ally of former general secretary Andy Gilchrist.

[20] Strike action in Merseyside in 2006 led to an accusation from the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) that the union was pursuing a political agenda in an attempt to disrupt 'modernisation'.

[21] In 2009 South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service threatened to dismiss and re-employ the workforce in order to impose non-agreed shift arrangements.

The FBU developed a campaign focused both on issues of fairness but also arguments around the needs of firefighting as an occupation and, in particular, the physical fitness standards which were required as a result.

[28] The campaign resulted in Parliamentary debate in December 2014, after the Labour front bench agreed to support a challenge to the new firefighter pension regulations.

After the election of the Conservative government in May 2015 the FBU launched a legal challenge over the changes, alleging age discrimination in the way 'transitional protection' arrangements were introduced.

These included reports into attacks on firefighters,[38][39] floods (2007 and 2015),[40][41] and on the fire service role in relation to climate change.

[42] The FBU also challenged what it claimed to be a simplistic cost base approach of the Audit Commission to fire service matters.

[44] Through these, Wrack and the FBU argued that the shift towards 'localism' and the ending of national standards and inspection were creating an increasingly fragmented fire and rescue service.

[45] In December 2006 an explosion and fire took place at a fireworks storage facility at Marlie Farm in East Sussex.

Despite losing the case in court, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service continued to refuse payment of compensation and appealed against the decision.

Wrack condemned this move and the FBU launched a campaign for the appeal to be dropped and compensation paid in relation to those killed or injured at the incident.

It is based on a direct link to an Area Manager within the fire and rescue service, so that any pay rises reflect those agreed on behalf of FBU members.