NDM8812 Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Safeguarding the health of firefighters

NDM8812 Luke Fletcher (South Wales West) 

To propose that the Senedd: 

1.  Notes: 

a) that firefighting exposes individuals to carcinogenic effluents, including benzene and toluene, which significantly increases mortality rates among firefighters relative to the general population; 

b) the work of the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and their classification of cancer among firefighters as a Group 1 occupational hazard; 

c) that countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia have officially recognised the link between exposure to toxic effluents and increased incidences of cancers; and 

d) the Fire Brigades Union’s ‘DECON’ campaign and its vital efforts to help firefighters reduce harmful exposure to contaminants. 

2. Recognises the findings of scientific research led by Professor Anna Stec at the Centre for Fire and Hazards Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union, which reveals that surveyed firefighters aged 35 to 39 faced an age-specific cancer rate up to 323 per cent higher than that of the general population of the same age group. 

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) collaborate with the Fire Brigades Union, fire and rescue services, and leading specialists in fire toxicology to mitigate the effects of carcinogenic effluents on firefighters in Wales; 

b) establish a preventative health programme to monitor and record exposures for all firefighters in Wales, including annual cancer screening as a minimum standard; and 

c) align Wales with international best practices in safeguarding firefighter health. 

Co-submitters 
Llyr Gruffydd (North Wales) 
Jane Dodds MS (Mid and West Wales) 
Peredur Owen Griffiths  (South Wales East) 
Rhys ab Owen (South Wales Central) 
Samuel Kurtz (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire) 

Supporters 
Delyth Jewell (South Wales East) 
Hefin David (Caerphilly) 
Jenny Rathbone (Cardiff Central) 
Joel James (South Wales Central) 
Sioned Williams (South Wales West)