When my grandfather was a firefighter in the first decades of the 20th Century it was an extremely dangerous occupation. The all male brigades were often ex service men who were able to work effectively in teams supporting one another in the most extreme of circumstances. Roll on to today and with even the most up to date state of the art equipment it continues to be a very dangerous profession. Firefighters Memorial Day is held on 4th May to remember those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
A report commissioned by the Fire Brigade’s Union (FBU), provides evidence of the hidden dangers that today’s firefighters can face. Working with the University of Central Lancashire to understand the link between fire contaminants and cancer a campaign, DECON, uses the evidence from the report to protect firefighters and their families from this less obvious risk.
Five reports based on surveying over 10,000 serving firefighters and researching Scottish firefighters’ death certificates has found that:
- Firefighters’ mortality rate from all cancers is 1.6 times higher than the general public
- Deaths from heart attacks are five times the rate of the general public, and three times the rate from strokes
- Firefighters are developing cancer at higher rates at younger ages
- Serving longer in the fire service increases risks of developing cancer
- Contaminants are causing higher rates of mental health issues, with firefighters three times more likely to suffer from depression, and twice as likely to suffer with anxiety
The FBU approached a world specialist in fire toxicology – Professor Anna Stec – in 2019 to carry out the UK’s first major study into cancer and fire contaminants so that firefighters get better protection.
Simon Leroux the North Area Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) , and the Scottish regional health and safety rep Scott MacRory, will be visiting next week (9th-12th Dec). The team will meet with the crews and look over the facilities that the local firefighters work in. During their visit to Orkney they are hoping to speak with local councillors to inform them of this research, as well as the current issues that the Scottish fire and rescue service are facing.
Since 2019, Professor Stec has led a research team at UCLan to:
- Investigate rates of cancer and other diseases in UK firefighters
- Understand the long-term health effects of fire contaminants
- Reduce exposure to contaminants in FRS work.
To address the issues raised from the evidence produced by the research they are calling on governments and fire bosses for:
- Annual health monitoring, monitoring and recording of exposures for all firefighters
- Occupation recorded on health, death certificates and similar records
- DECON policies and training introduced across the UK Fire and Rescue Service
- Facilities and contracts for PPE and workwear cleaning across all fire services
- Legislation ensuring proper compensation and protection for affected firefighters
Fiona Grahame
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