'No one size fits all' to boosting mental health, warns Cambridgeshire firefighter
The Government's unveiled plans to improve the wellbeing of those in fire services
A firefighter based in Huntingdon hopes Government plans will make sure people like him get the extra help they need.
It follows a new national agreement to improve monitoring and wellbeing in the fire service.
The Government’s new Firefighters Concordat is bringing in changes to tackle both physical and mental health issues across the UK.
"There is no one size fits all here," Mark Harriss, a firefighter at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, said.
"It could be a financial stresses, the traumatic incidents people go to, so once the Government identify what these stresses are, they need to work with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in order to work out what the best solutions are going forward."
Prevention first
The Government has pledged to give firefighters regular health checks for every single firefighter in the country, as well as funding research into the hazards they face to improve physical and mental health support for them.
It also wants to adopt a 'prevention first' approach, which aims to keep firefighters healthier for longer, cut down on NHS costs and ensure the fire and rescue service can retain experienced, fit and skilled workers.
But Mark - who's been a wholetime firefighter at the county's fire service since 2017 - believes it will take time to see change.
"This is not a quick fix by any stretch; this is going to be something that will take several years to implement," he said.
"Hopefully it will become an integral part of the funding calculations (for fire services) from the Government going forward."
Action needed rather than words
A study by Mind found in 2019, 60% of fire service workers reported having experience of living with mental health problems.
Since then, the FBU has called on decision-makers to address the problem by talking more openly about mental health and improve the level of support available to firefighters and fire control staff.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the concerns of firefighters "have been ignored.
"This new agreement promises to change things: to boost funding for research that is well overdue, and work in partnership with firefighters and their unions, alongside employers and fire chiefs, to better protect and support them in the long term."
Mark - who is also secretary at the FBU Cambridgeshire branch - welcomes the plans and has not suffered with any mental health issues whilst working at the fire service.
He now wants action rather than words.
"It's welcoming there's going to be more focus put on the investigation and where we'll see the real benefit is what measures are put in place," he added.
"It's going to be a challenge, so hopefully they'll (the Government) be serious about it and give that investment that's going to enable whatever measures are put in place to be useful."