UK firefighters demand health checks

Firefighters in the UK must be provided urgent health checks, their union the FBU has said, after the latest research into the impact of exposure to fire contaminants revealed the extend of life-threatening risks.

In January 2025, the University of Central Lancashire found that 136 of the 524 firefighters exposed to smoke at the Grenfell Tower fire reported life changing health conditions three years later. These included 11 cases of cancer, 64 respiratory diseases, 22 neurological disorders and 66 digestive illnesses.

The union is calling for regular health monitoring for UK firefighters so that health conditions, including cancers, can be identified and treated early.

In an interview with LBC on 3 January, public health minister Andrew Gywnne stated that: “Certainly that’s something that I’m more than happy to take away and look at seriously because we recognise that people who go above and beyond putting their own lives at risk in situations like Grenfell Tower may well end up with health issues as a consequence of their own work.”

In the 31 January 2025 letter, FBU general secretary Steve Wright calls for health monitoring for firefighters, writing: “The FBU today reiterates its call for urgent talks with ministers about regular health checks for firefighters. Following your intervention, the government must make a firm commitment to deliver that health screening.

“There can be no prevarication or delay in protecting firefighters from life threatening conditions.

“The UK is decades behind many comparable countries on this issue, and the findings of this report are likely to be the tip of the iceberg.

“I look forward to hearing from ministers about dates for a meeting on this critical issue, and on the government’s plans to back regular health monitoring for firefighters.”

Read the letter in full.