New training for firefighters launched to combat cancer threat

New training for firefighters, aimed to fight the cancer threat from fires, has been launched this week by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), having been developed in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

UK firefighters surveyed as part of UCLan research were four times more likely to have been diagnosed with cancer than the general population, thought to be due to a firefighter’s exposure to toxic substances, also known as 'contaminants'.

Developed in tandem with UCLan’s Professor Anna Stec, the FBU's new training, called DECON, encourages firefighters to take actions before, during, and after every fire incident to help reduce their own, their co-workers’ and their families’ exposure to these toxic substances,

DECON encourages firefighters to have better cleaning practices around fire kits and amongst themselves, with one of the biggest health risks being a long-standing culture in the fire service where dirty kit is viewed as a ‘badge of honour’, and worn with pride.

Firefighters are also being advised to shower and change at work within an hour of attending a fire, rather than carrying the contaminants home.

The launch of the training, comes in the same week as the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11, and since the disaster, US studies have revealed firefighters who attended have an increased risk of cancer and other diseases and are eligible for government funded compensation.

Riccardo la Torre, National Officer at the Fire Brigades Union, said: “Most firefighters will know a colleague who is battling, or has battled, with cancer. It affects us all in the fireservice and can be devastating. This training aims to help to make this less frequent. We’re looking forward to seeing it in action and hopefully helping save lives.”

Firefighter Sid McNally contracted cancer and believes it may have been caused by his work as a firefighter. He said: “There’s lots of cancer risks you can have as a member of the public. I simply don’t have any of those. I just believe I was working in an environment that didn’t do me any good.

“You do get drawn into that work environment and you think that that’s all that matters but you have got a life outside of the fire and rescue service, and to make the most of that you need to be alive.”

Professor Anna Stec, Professor in Fire Chemistry and Toxicity at UCLan, said: “Our research shows that UK firefighters are frequently exposed to high levels of toxic chemicals during and after a fire.

“Our best practice report combined with this training, as well as our cancer and disease registry and national health screening, will allow us to increase awareness amongst firefighters of the impact of toxic fire effluents on their health. Through ongoing research, we will help to keep firefighters safe and reduce the occurrence of cancer and other diseases within this lifesaving profession.”

The training is part of a wider project by the FBU and UCLan, which aims to better understand the links between contaminants and firefighter disease. It also includes a cancer and disease registry, which organisers want all serving and retired firefighters to sign up to, to help track and research these links.

The union is looking to work with all UK fire and rescue services to deliver the training to all serving firefighters.