Key Summary
- Government announces a Firefighters Concordat focused on the health and wellbeing of the profession.
- Personnel will receive consistent, regular health checks recognising the unique risks of the role.
- New funding for the NIHR will research hazards to improve physical and mental health support.
The UK government will monitor the health of firefighters to provide better support during and after their service.
While firefighters face occupation risks while fighting fire, there is limited research into the long-term health effects of the profession.
Health secretary Wes Streeting announced that the government will establish a Firefighters Concordat on Health and Wellbeing.
He said: “Firefighters run towards danger knowing full well the risks they face during an emergency, but we know very little about how the speed and courage of their work impacts their health.
“That is because for too long their concerns have been ignored - but this new agreement promises to change things: to boost funding for research that is well overdue, and work in partnership with firefighters and their unions, alongside employers and fire chiefs, to better protect and support them in the long term.
“We cannot continue to ask people to give everything in service of others and then fail them when they need help themselves.”
The government will also fund research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to build the evidence base and better support understanding of how best to tackle firefighters’ health risks.
Underrepresented groups will be given specific focus. This includes women, who have too often had to do their jobs in places that was not designed for women.
The agreement is part of the NHS’s work with the Ministerial Advisory Group on Fire and Rescue Reform and the 10 Year Health Plan.
National Fire Chiefs Council Chair, Phil Garrigan, said: “Firefighter health and wellbeing is a long‑standing priority for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), and we welcome continued recognition of the unique risks firefighters face through their work.”
The Concordat would focus on these core aspects: cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal conditions, mental wellbeing, and awareness of cancer risks.
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright lauded Streeting and called the increased health monitoring an important milestone.
