Firefighters and Mental Illness

Available for over a year

The number of UK fire and rescue staff taking long-term sick leave due to mental illness has risen by nearly a third over the last six years a according to figures obtained by 5 live Invesigates. In London, fire staff taking leave for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder has doubled since 2011-12. 103 London fire staff have taken mental health leave this year, some after working at the Grenfell Tower tragedy. London Fire Brigade Borough Commander Richard Welch talks about how firefighters coped when confronted with the horrific scenes inside. And former firefighter Andy Graham tells the programme how his life has been haunted by some of the incidents he's attended during a 30 year career.