FBU demands more action to support Dorset Firefighters mental health

Mental health absences have cost DWFRS more than £500k in the last three years

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 7th Jan 2025

The Fire Brigades Union has slammed years of funding cuts that have ramped up pressures on Dorset's fire service staff - leading to increased mental health related work absences.

New data from the service has revealed that mental health related absences from work cost Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) over half a million pounds across the last three years.

Executive Council member for the Southwest region of the FBU, Val Hampshire, called the figure 'astonishing'.

She said: "There is a link to the austerity and the cuts that the fire service has had in the last 14 plus years and the fact that we've lost so many firefighters, the fact that we're struggling for crews, the fact that they're going to serious incidents we're sure to cruise, which puts more pressure on all of the staff."

DWFRS says it's investing in boosting support for it's staff, saying it takes the health and wellbeing of it's workforce very seriously.

In a statement, the service said: "We have invested in a range of preventative mechanisms such as trauma risk management for our operational crews after an incident and reactive support including occupational health and counselling for all our staff, as well as access to support through external providers."

Ms Hampshire said the FBU welcomed the changes, but insists more still needs to be done.

"It's a good, solid start, but you can see from the figures that it's not getting better very, very quickly. It needs more input and more treatments available for staff and early recognition for staff too," she said.

5\1 people have left DWFRS following time off for mental health illness, and Ms Hampshire says that is an 'extremely worrying' trend.

She told us years of cuts meant pressure and stresses on staff is growing as they attend more incidents.

Ms Hampshire added that it's not only the firefighters who need to be looked after, but also the staff in the control room.

"The control room staff in particular, may not see an incident, but they hear it and their stress levels are really high and their mental health issues need to be looked at as intently as they do firefighters because you're hearing it, but also the call handling, they're doing their handling calls for more people who are in mental health crisis than ever before."

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