FBU work on cancer in firefighters was the focus of a Europe-wide meeting of firefighters and their representatives. Riccardo la Torre, FBU national officer, attended the meeting. He said: “DECON is here to stay in the UK fire and rescue service, and now firefighters from across Europe are keen to learn from us.”
The union led the way on tackling cancer in firefighters with its pioneering DECON project, which includes ground-breaking research and detailed training.
The interim best practice report, published with the University of Central Lancashire, has been translated into eight European languages.
The DECON project includes research which suggests that cancer rates in firefighters are four times higher than in the general population, and training to help mitigate this risk.
It was the focus of a meeting of the European Public Service Union (EPSU) Firefighters’ Network on 15 June. Riccardo la Torre and a delegation of FBU health and safety reps made a presentation on the latest news from the campaign.
EPSU is a collection of more than 260 unions spanning Europe and representing eight million public service workers. Its firefighters’ network brings together firefighter sections from across Europe, including the FBU.
Riccardo la Torre said: “We know the value of international solidarity and, as part of that, we are enthusiastic about sharing our work with our European brothers and sisters.
“We know the value of international solidarity and, as part of that, we are enthusiastic about sharing our work with our European brothers and sisters.
“This meeting was also a huge opportunity for us to listen and discuss these issues, and we look forward to getting back to the UK and working with fire and rescue services to make progress on DECON and saving firefighters from early, needless deaths.”
Two discussion sessions took place, both focussed on “Cancer as a professional disease for firefighters, the impact of fire effluents and decontamination”.
Other speakers in the discussions included Professor Anna Stec of University of Central Lancashire, who has worked with the FBU on DECON, and representatives of firefighters from countries including Poland, Sweden, and Italy.
