“Firefighters are being pushed beyond limits to keep the public safe,” says Fire Brigades Union
Cleveland Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has seen a stark rise in staff absences amid what the Fire Brigades Union is calling a “mental health crisis.”
Data obtained by Accident Claims Advice (ACA) via a Freedom of Information Request to the service has also found that stress, depression, anxiety and work-related stress were the common conditions cited for staff mental health absences in the last three years.
What’s more, Cleveland Fire and Rescue estimates that in the last three years, the cost for sickness absences to the service is more than £5 million.
Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 16,383 CFRS staff absences have been recorded due to mental health.
Of those, ‘stress’ was the reason listed for 50 per cent of mental health absences, keeping in mind that more than one condition can be cited as the reason for absence.
Anxiety was the second most common mental health condition listed, accounting for around 31 per cent of mental health absences, while ‘depression’ accounted for an estimated 9 per cent.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) General Secretary, Matt Wrack, told ACA: “We are facing a mental health crisis in the fire and rescue service. Since attending traumatic incidents is an unavoidable part of the job for firefighters, mental health support is vital.”
In 2021/2022, less than five staff members at Cleveland Fire and Rescue Service who had time off due to mental health went on to leave the Fire Brigade.
The following year, the figure doubled to 10 members of staff who subsequently left after being absent due to mental health.
A further 10 also left the Brigade in 2023/24 following time off for mental health.
While it cannot be confirmed that the sole reason for leaving is associated with mental health, the FBU says the ‘crisis’ within UK Fire Services must be addressed.
Secretary Matt Wrack added: “Despite the evidence that firefighters are struggling, fire service mental health provision is patchy across the UK.
“After a decade of cuts to the fire and rescue service, firefighters are being pushed beyond limits to keep the public safe.”
Cleveland Fire and Rescue Service disclosed an estimated cost of all sickness absences to the service over the last three years (including staff absences due to mental health).
A spokesperson for the service said: “The figures are based on salaries as follows:
For Uniformed members of staff, the calculations are based on Firefighter hourly rate plus on coasts (ERC and Superannuation) for a 12-hour shift. For Green book staff costs are based on a Grade E rate plus on costs (ERC and Superannuation) for a standard day of 7.5 hours.
“Based on these, the calculated costs that went into our performance report for sickness absence were: £1,435,325.60 for 2021/22, then £1,644,263.10 for 2022/23 and for 2023/24, an estimated £1,925,828.94.”
FBU Secretary Matt Wrack says: “Responding to life-or-death situations without adequate resources is intensely stressful. To address this mental health crisis, we need central government to provide the investment needed to rebuild the service.
Accidentclaimsadvice.org.uk offers a specialist service for anyone looking for support and advice after being affected by mental health.
They operate a 24-hour helpline and live chat service which you can access on their website.
About the Author
Cleveland Fire & Rescue Services
Cleveland is in the North East of England and includes the borough authorities of Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. It covers approximately 597km2 and centres around the mouth of the River Tees. It has a population of over 560,000 living in over 249,000 dwellings.
