Exploring the politics of firefighters' lost sleep

The UK fire service does not actively manage sleep loss because it is a "politically loaded subject", according to Dr Alexandra Holmes of the consultancy firm AWAKE.

In the first of a series of articles looking at fatigue in the emergency services, Holmes claims that sleep loss is "possibly the most important cause of stress among firefighters", but that this "goes largely unrecognised and unchecked".

"For the firefighters in this country, sleep loss and tiredness are embedded within emotive and complex issues of work hours, pay and secondary employment," she explains. As a result, they are being left behind while industries including road transport, aviation and petrochemicals are implementing fatigue-management programmes and "reaping the personal and financial rewards of a safer and healthier workforce".

Holmes quotes evidence showing that sleep loss is a primary source of occupational stress for firefighters, and examines its causes - including exposure to emotionally distressing situations and risk of post-traumatic distress disorder.

Shift work is also associated with sleep loss, and firefighters' ability (due to their shift arrangements) to work in second jobs promotes sleep loss "quite simply by reducing the amount of time available for sleep", Holmes says. Additionally, "stand down" time (the time during a shift when firefighters must respond to emergency calls but are otherwise allowed to sleep) can be erratic.

Holmes argues that these "industrial complications" mean that the fire service has not formally assessed or addressed the issue of sleep loss, but she claims that doing so would improve performance and reduce stress and accident risk.

The article, "Sleepless Knights: sleep loss and its contribution to occupational stress in the fire service", can be obtained via the AWAKE website at www.awakeltd.info