All posts by : Iain Hoey

Like many calendar of events this year, the 2020 The Fire Fighters Charity AGM went online, with company members, trustees and directors meeting via Zoom on Wednesday 18 November. Business on the agenda included appointing three new members to the Board of Trustees.

Graham Floyd joins as the new Lead Trustee (Digital). A Chartered Project professional who specialises in digital transformation and delivery, Graham’s career began in the Royal Air Force, before he joined the NHS and went on to support public and global organisations as a management consultant.

Ruth Powell joins as Lead Trustee (Digital Development and Marketing). Ruth’s career in sales and marketing began at Apple and she continues to work at business development director level in technology and healthcare industries. Her brother is a firefighter in Sydney’s National Forest, so she is passionate about supporting the fire services community.

Steve Tolan joins as Lead Trustee (Clinical). Steve is the London Regional Chief Allied Health Professional for NHS England and NHS Improvement, with a clinical background in physiotherapy. His general professional interests are rehabilitation and recovery, digital healthcare, system transformation, leadership and diversity, and health inequalities.

The AGM also marked the end of Andrew Lynch’s time as Chair of the Board of Trustees, after four years at the helm. Fire Fighters Charity sat down with him last week to reflect on his time on the Board and hear his aspirations for the future of the charity. You can read our interview with him here.

Paul Fuller, Chief Fire Officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was also confirmed as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees, effective from Thursday 19 November.

Jane Nicklin has also stepped down from her role as a member of the Board. Qualified physiotherapist Jane brought extensive experience from her work in healthcare and specialism in neurological conditions.

Finally there was cause for celebration, as Alan Holmes was presented with his Life Patron Award. Alan joined Tyne and Wear Fire Service in 1965, where he served at every operational rank up to and including Deputy Chief Fire Officer until his retirement in 2009.

At this point he wholeheartedly agreed to take up the role of Regional Co-Ordinator within the then-newly-formed Charity structure, where he has remained to date, the longest serving of these voluntary roles. Congratulations, Alan, on your Life Patron Award.

Cold Cut Systems AB have appointed Martin Orman as Managing Director of Cold Cut Systems Ltd.

Martin set up the first overseas division of Cold Cut Systems in January 2019 bringing the company closer to their UK customer base and ensuring Brexit would be managed in a smooth way.

Since then there has been the obvious challenges, however, they are now in a stronger position to tackle them now that the UK company is in place.

Martin Orman said “I am very proud to be part of such a progressive and customer focused company. We have a great team here and can react quickly to our customer needs with local stock, service and best in class training. Our customers have been very supportive and we continue to improve our processes based on their feedback. We hope that everyone stays safe and well in this difficult time.”

“I am very pleased that Martin has accepted the role as Managing Director. Martin has proven great skills and dedication and taken the UK division of the Cold Cut Systems Group to where we are today. I am excited about the plans Martin has for the future which will strengthen the company further”, says Johan Ivarsson, CEO of the Cold Cut Systems Group.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact us at sales@coldcutsystems.com

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is calling for all UK fire services to use body worn cameras, following a spate of mindless attacks on crews.

In a video shared on NFCC’s social media channels, crews reveal shocking first-hand stories and footage of firefighters being pelted with fireworks and verbally abused by members of the public.

Between 2015 and 2020 there were more than 3,800 attacks on firefighters. In 2019/20 alone, around 950 attacks were recorded in England and Scotland, not taking into account this year’s Bonfire period that saw a sharp rise in the volume and severity of attacks, with fireworks, stones and bricks being thrown at crews. Such attacks risk impacting the mental and physical health of firefighters.

In some areas of the country, firefighters can no longer attend some types of fires – unless they have a police escort. NFCC warns these can escalate quickly into large scale fires, putting properties and lives at risk.

Chris Lowther, Chair of NFCC’s Operations Committee and Chief Fire Officer for Tyne and Wear, who opens the video, said: “I am disgusted that firefighters are being attacked when trying to protect the communities they serve; ultimately saving lives.

“We need to see custodial sentences handed out – it is clear we need a deterrent which makes people think twice. These mindless attacks are abhorrent; if one or two members of staff are injured on a shift, this can result in fire appliances having to be taken off the road while other staff are called in. This leaves communities at risk if there is a major incident.”

NFCC Chair Roy Wilsher who also features on the video insisting the attacks must stop, said: “I know that Chief Fire Officers in every UK Fire and Rescue Service care about the health and wellbeing of all firefighters, I know it is something each of them takes very seriously.

“I would urge them to think about body worn camera technology to help to protect their crews. The cameras can be a superb operational aid when it comes to debriefing incidents, but they can also record assaults and bring those attacking firefighters to justice.

“While jail sentences have been increased from 12 to 24 months, we now need to see these imposed to send a clear message. Emergency services staff must be treated with the respect they deserve; blue light services are here to keep people safe.”

Ground-breaking research has revealed the serious health risks to UK firefighters following exposure to toxic fire effluents, the chemicals emitted during a fire, in an independent University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) report commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

The work is a UK first and the latest in a growing body of international evidence suggesting an increased risk of firefighters developing cancer and other diseases. Fires produce a cocktail of toxic, irritant and carcinogenic chemicals in the form of aerosols, dusts, fibres, smoke and fumes or gases and vapours.

The report includes a summary of UCLan’s testing on-site at 18 fire stations as well as over 10,000 responses to a national firefighter survey run jointly between the FBU and UCLan.

Firefighters exposed to dangerous chemicals

Indoor air testing at a number of fire stations and training centres highlighted that UK firefighters are still being exposed to the high levels of toxic contaminants during and after a fire, as cancer-causing chemicals remain on PPE clothing, equipment, and elsewhere at the fire ground.

Test samples revealed carcinogens inside firefighters’ helmets, on PPE, and even on breathing apparatus mask filters.

More than 10,000 currently-serving firefighters were surveyed in order to better understand UK decontamination practices and the prevalence of illness, revealing:

• 4.1% of survey respondents had already been diagnosed with cancer, compared with less than 1% of the general population. Three quarters have served for at least 10 years before receiving their diagnosis. More than half were under the age of 50 and a fifth were under 40.
• Of those diagnosed, 26% have skin cancer, the most common, followed by testicular cancer (10%), head and neck cancer (4%) and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (3%).
• Half of the survey respondents don’t think their fire service takes decontamination practices, including cleaning PPE and equipment, seriously.
• 1 in 5 of the survey respondents store their fire gloves in their boots, 1 in 5 store in their pockets, and 1 in 10 store in their helmet, risking the transfer of toxic contaminants directly to skin.
• Nearly half of the survey respondents felt there was a “badge of honour” attitude in the service, particularly when emerging from fires with contaminants on their PPE or face as a sign of hard work.

Scientists have created a best practice guide for fire and rescue services, putting forward a number of urgent recommendations to minimise firefighters’ exposure to toxic fire effluents. This includes:

• Every fire and rescue service must implement fully risk-assessed decontamination procedures en-route to, during and after fire incidents, and ensure all relevant staff are trained in implementing these procedures.
• Fire and rescue personnel should receive regular and up-to-date training on the harmful health effects of exposure to toxic fire effluents, and how these exposures can be reduced, minimised or eliminated.
• Firefighters should wear respiratory protective equipment at all times while firefighting, including after a fire has been extinguished, but is still ‘gassing off’.
• PPE should be clean and should be thoroughly decontaminated after every incident to avoid a build-up of toxic contaminants.
• Firefighters should shower within an hour of returning from incidents.
• Regular health screening and recording attendance at fire incidents over the course of a firefighter’s career is strongly advised and will be key to the longer-term monitoring and management of their health.

In most states in Canada and the United States, presumptive legislation recognises certain cancers as occupational diseases amongst firefighters.

In the UK, it has so far been concluded that there is not considered to be enough evidence to link occupational exposure to carcinogenic fire effluents and the higher risk of cancers. This means that, if a firefighter believes their illness is work-related, they are required to prove it – an almost impossible retroactive task.

Ahead of the report’s publication, the Environmental Audit Committee recommended that the Health and Safety Executive implement its report’s recommendations on improving firefighters’ work environments.

In response the government confirmed that it would instruct HSE to monitor the research and to ensure fire and rescue services identify risks to firefighters .

UK law requires firefighters’ personal protective equipment (PPE) to meet heat-resistance, heat transfer, and water resistance requirements, but it is not required to protect wearers from toxic gases and particulates.

This best-practice report is the first stage of ongoing research examining the link between firefighters’ exposure to toxic fire effluents and the risk of cancer and other diseases.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said:

“Firefighters risk their lives every day to keep their communities safe. But it’s clear that the risk to their health doesn’t stop when the fire has been extinguished.

“Sadly we often see serving and former firefighters suffer from cancer and other illnesses. Every firefighter knows the fear that, someday, they and their family could receive the devastating news – but we’re determined to do all we can to reduce the risk of firefighters developing these terrible diseases as a result of their job.

“There are some hard truths for fire and rescue services in this report – and far more needs to be done to protect firefighters from cancer and other illnesses. And among firefighters, there are still some myths to dispel, which is why regular and up to date training on the risk to their health is so essential.

“This research is a crucial first step to definitively proving the link between firefighting, toxic contaminants, and cancer in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive must urgently implement the recommendations to bring life-saving measures into place as soon as possible.”