Musculoskeletal injury the leading cause for firefighter absence in the UK.
- Get Fit For Duty
- Jun 25, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 25, 2024
Introduction
Attending emergency calls can involve conditions that are stressful and unpredictable such as house fires and road traffic collisions (1). Firefighters are required to work in environments of substantial physical and psychological stress that could be considered highly dangerous (1-3). For example, exposure to high temperatures and toxic smoke whilst wearing PPE and carrying operational equipment can result in reduced visibility and increased risk of injury (1, 4).
Firefighters suffer 3.8 times more injuries when compared with other similarly physical jobs including construction workers and labourers (5). Firefighters are not only at risk of fire-related injuries such as burns (6), but also musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries (7).
UK national fire service sickness absence report
According to the most recent UK national fire service sickness absence report, the main cause of sickness absence for all wholetime and on call firefighters in UK fire and rescue services was due to a musculoskeletal injury. It was reported that between April 2023 – March 2024, 116,907 shifts were lost to MSK absences across the UK, accounting for 32% of all fire service sickness absence.
Wholetime Firefighters– national fire sickness absence in the UK
For wholetime firefighters in the UK, 78,928 shifts were lost due to MSK injuries. The next highest cause was mental health, resulting in 61,061 shifts lost.
The leading causes of MSK injuries were Lower limb (24,762 shifts lost) and Back (19,931 shifts lost)
Wholetime firefighter sickness absence in the UK saw a 13% increase when compared to the previous year.
On Call Firefighters– national fire sickness absence in the UK
For on call firefighters in the UK, 37,979 shifts were lost due to MSK injuries. Mental health was the next highest cause, resulting in 13,956 shifts lost.
The leading causes of MSK injuries were lower limb (12,653 shifts lost) and back (6,348 shifts lost).
On call firefighter sickness absence in the UK saw a 10% increase when compared to the previous year.
Average duration of firefighter sickness absence
The average number of duty day sickness absence per wholetime firefighter was 11.27 duty days. The national fire service sickness absence report stated that 36.7% of UK fire services were above this average (11.52-17.30 duty days lost). With the average day rate for a UK firefighter being £121, the results from this report indicate that on average a fire service would lose £1,363 per wholetime firefighter injury. This is without any additional costs on the service, including paying for additional shifts to provide cover for the injured firefighter.
The average number of duty day sickness absence per on call firefighter was 15.99 duty days. The national fire service sickness absence report stated that 31.8% of UK fire services were above this average (16.67-33.38 duty days lost).
Supporting firefighters during their return to work journey
After recuperation, a firefighter is expected to return to full operational duties. However, without adequate testing to ensure a safe return to work (RTW), the performance of their role could be compromised (8), as the risk factor of reinjury is increased (9). Firefighters who had below adequate fitness levels have been reported to be 2.9 times more likely to sustain another injury (10). Reinjury could suggest that an individual might have returned to their job role too soon and that RTW protocols are not optimal (11). The implications of this issue are serious as reinjury can lead to reduced emergency response availability within a given fire service.
It is important that firefighters are supported during the period between being cleared to resume physical training and returning to operational duties. Examples of support include providing time and provisions for individuals to conduct physical exercise training. In addition, a fitness training programme comprised of resistance exercises and cardiovascular exercises have been reported to significantly increase physical fitness and optimise job related performance in tactical athletes (P= <0.05) (12). Additionally, it has been reported that insufficient support with fitness training reduces exercise adherence in firefighters (13). Previous research with professional athletes has demonstrated a negative correlation between exercise adherence and injury recovery time (14).
Dr Liam Noll.
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References
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