Fire brigades union launches cancer register

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https://www.fbu.org.uk/news/2021/02/04/f...e-registry

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Firefighters and cancer: position paper 47

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...n-paper-47

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Belfast firefighter calls for mandatory cancer screenings following death of colleague

Stuart Knight has launched a petition in memory of his friend and colleague, Andrew McLucas who passed away last month


Firefighter Andrew McLucas with his family. Andrew passed away earlier this month following a short battle with cancer

A Belfast firefighter has launched a petition calling for fire crews to be given regular cancer screenings following the recent death of his friend and colleague.

Stuart Knight is calling on the government to introduce cancer screenings for firefighters across the UK in order to ensure their health and wellbeing is protected as they work to keep the public safe.


He has launched it in memory of his close friend and colleague Andrew McLucas, who passed away on July 12 following a short battle with cancer.

Stuart said that Andrew's disease had spread through his body very quickly and feels that if cancer screenings were available for firefighters, his illness may have been detected sooner, and therefore been more treatable.

He said: "Andy had been a close friend and colleague of mine for a number of years, with us both serving on Red Watch together, him at Westland Fire Station and me at Cadogan.

"His passing has left a big hole in all of our lives, and it was terrible to see how quickly the cancer spread throughout his body, even if we cannot say for sure if our job is the reason he got it.


Andy McLucas passed after a short illness (Image: NIFRS East/ Facebook)
"Working as a firefighter we are constantly putting ourselves in harm's way and you never know what sort of dangers or contaminants we have come across at fires.

"There can be everything from dangerous chemicals to asbestos and other carcinogens and while we have procedures in place to limit risk and exposure to keep us safe if we are aware of them, sometimes you will not know they are present until you are in the middle of an emergency.

"Because of this, I feel that it is vital that firefighters are given regular cancer screenings on an annual basis, to ensure that we are able to keep on top of our health, both for now and the future.

"While it is sadly too late for Andy, I hope that we can put pressure on the government to make sure that firefighters across the country are protected and looked after."

Riccardo la Torre, Fire Brigades Union National Officer, said that due to their work, firefighters in the UK can be up to four times more likely to develop cancer and other illness than members of the public.

He said: "“Fires contain a cocktail of toxic chemicals, and research shows that UK firefighters can be up to four times more likely to develop cancer and other illnesses than the general population.

"We’ve long been aware of this, and to assist our work here we’re building an online cancer and disease registry (https://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/activity/fcdr) which we need all serving and retired firefighters to fill out. Our thoughts and condolences go out to all families affected by these issues, from everyone at the Fire Brigades Union.”

If you would like to sign Stuart's petition please follow this link. - https://bit.ly/3xbIqg8

https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfa...r-21176510

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Sadly I know of many ffs who retired then died from cancers in parts of the body that would have been subjected to smoke and other contaminants during their service. This was particularly prevalent when I started in the 70s. It reminds me of all of those poor miners who suffered from similar terminal cancers due to their occupation. But where does this end most tradesmen expose themselves to substances and environmental situations that can prove dangerous to their health. But it would be good if something comes out of this.

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New training launched to combat fire cancer threat




New FBU-produced training aiming to fight the cancer threat to firefighters from fires has been released.


The training (DECON) intends to help reduce the effect of toxic substances released in fires, with actions such as showers soon after fires advised. It’s thought that firefighters’ exposure to these toxic substances could be playing a part in firefighters’ increased risk of getting cancer and other diseases. Firefighters surveyed as part of University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) research were four times more likely to have been diagnosed with cancer than the general population.


DECON encourages firefighters to take actions before, during, and after every fire incident to help reduce exposure to these toxic substances, which are termed ‘contaminants’. These actions include things such as better cleaning practices around fire kit and firefighters themselves.


The training is aimed at all firefighters, and is available to access here.


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


Sid McNally, a firefighter who contracted cancer, concurred, saying that whilst “there’s lots of cancer risks you can have as a member of the public”, he “didn’t have any of those” and says “I just believe I was working in an environment that wasn’t doing me any good”.


He went on to say “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”, adding “but to make the most of that you need to be alive”.


FBU general secretary Matt Wrack also added his voice, saying that “There are indications that the danger that contaminants pose could be very significant indeed, and it is likely that contaminants have already taken so much from the firefighting community. But with this training we can begin to fight back and improve safety for firefighters. All Fire and Rescue Services and every Chief Fire Officer should support this initiative and encourage employees to register”.


The training has been developed in tandem with University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), as part of a wider project. That wider project 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.


Professor Anna Stec, professor in fire chemistry and toxicity at UCLan, who is leading on the research, said 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”.


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

https://www.fbu.org.uk/news/2021/09/07/n...cer-threat