Compensation for firefighters

The FBU marked Firefighters’ Memorial Day on 4 May with a call for the UK government to introduce legislation ensuring firefighters diagnosed with cancer and other diseases linked to their work can receive compensation.

In July 2022, the World Health Organisation declared that firefighting was “carcinogenic to humans”.

And independent research by the University of Central Lancashire has revealed that firefighters are dying of cancer at 1.6 times the rate of the general population.

“Presumptive legislation” is already the norm for many forms of cancer and some other diseases in the USA, Australia and Canada, the FBU added.