LAST FEBRUARY, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to throw myself into some of the extensive training undertaken by our fire and rescue services.

I joined the South Wales Fire and Rescue team who invited me to the Cardiff Gate training centre and Bridgend fire station where I attempted search-and-rescue drills in cramped, smoke-filled rooms and mazes of confined crawl spaces, all in complete darkness.

Needless to say, I left both experiences with a renewed appreciation for what our service people do day in and day out. One thing was abundantly clear to me: we are incredibly lucky to have such a skilled group of people who are willing to go above and beyond while putting themselves at risk.

Firefighters regularly put their lives on the line, but the risks they face go beyond the flames, smoke and confined spaces.

Fire produces a toxic cocktail of carcinogenic effluents, including benzene and toluene, which are responsible for significantly increasing the mortality rates of firefighters when compared to the general population.

Scientific reports commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) found that instances of cancer among firefighters aged 35 to 39 are up to 323 per cent higher than in the general population in the same age category.

Over a year has passed since the reports, independently carried out by research centres out of the University of Central Lancashire, were published, leading the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer to categorise cancer among firefighters as a Group 1 occupational hazard, the highest classification, due to the elevated levels of carcinogens they encounter while working.

The groundbreaking work of Professor Anna Stec, who I had the pleasure of welcoming and hearing speak in the Senedd recently on what the research means for firefighters in Britain, has hammered home how out of sync with other countries the constituent national governments of Britain are when it comes to safeguarding firefighters’ health.

In the US, Canada and Australia, the link between exposure to fire effluents and increased incidences of cancers and other diseases in firefighters is officially recognised in many states or provinces, with legislation protecting firefighters’ right to medical support and workplace compensation should they develop illnesses because of their careers.

Government refusal to act on such an overwhelming bank of evidence here is a source of shame. In Wales, as in the rest of Britain, little such support exists for our servicepeople.

While the incredible work of the FBU and its Decon campaign, which aims to help firefighters protect themselves, their families, and others from exposure to harmful contaminants, alongside vital grassroots work in stations, are crucial interventions, this is work that shouldn’t be passed on to individual fire services, or a National Health Service already stretched to breaking point.

This has to be implemented as a raft of measures that form part of a national programme with the necessary financial investment to bring firefighter safety up to speed with the rest of the world.

The FBU has long made calls for preventative health monitoring such as regular medical screenings for cancer and other diseases. Following discussions with Prof Stec and FBU Wales, I took these calls to the floor of the Senedd last month.

I asked the First Minister if the Welsh government would commit there and then to introducing specific health monitoring for Welsh firefighters, an immediate measure to monitor and help mitigate the exposure to toxic contaminants faced by firefighters. This would be a relatively simple measure to implement that would make a big difference in catching illnesses at the early stages of their development.

To the call, the First Minister’s response showed initial promise, noting that the FBU-commissioned research had been taken through and considered and that the government is looking for ways to improve the occupational health and safety position of firefighters.

Then, the First Minister continued with the assertion that the government would “need to see an evidence base that comes through the advice that we get as a government and for our service through Britain National Screening Committee.”

Giving in one sentence, and taking away in another. Declining to act definitively on irrefutable evidence. Proceduralism at the expense of firefighters’ health.

On May 4, we remember the service people who lost their lives in the line of duty. When those in positions of power in government express their gratitude, they should remember that gratitude alone won’t save lives. It’s imperative that gratitude is translated into concrete action.

Establishing a national programme with robust financial investment for preventative health monitoring is not just a moral imperative but a necessary step in safeguarding the wellbeing of those who selflessly protect our communities.

Luke Fletcher is MS for South Wales West and the Plaid Cymru economy spokesperson. Follow him on X @FletcherPlaid.