A CHARITY coffee morning in Greenock highlighted that firefighters are more likely to develop cancer than the rest of the population due to the dangers posed by contaminated sites. 

Greenock fire station hosted a day packed full of baked goodies and hot beverages to generate money for Macmillan. 

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Fire Brigades Union teamed up to run the fun event which had a hard-hitting message at its heart. 

Crew commander Jordan Falconer, branch secretary for the Fire Brigades Union, and firefighter Colin Edgeley, Fire Brigades Union west area chair, led the organisation of the event. 

(Image: George Munro) Colin told the Telegraph that firefighters' mortality rate from all cancers is 1.6 times higher than the general population, and that firefighters are developing cancer up to 10 years earlier than other people. 

He said the event helped to raise awareness of the dangers firefighters face every day. 

Colin said: "We wear breathing apparatus when we go into buildings but it's when we're decontaminating the sites that we face other dangers. 

"These are not the obvious threats from intense heat, flames and explosion but are unseen dangers posed by gases, chemicals, and toxins released during a fire. 

"People used to wear dirty kit as a badge of honour but a dirty kit is a contaminated kit. 

"It's not acceptable that when we're trying to clean ourselves we're making ourselves ill. 

"It's an unacceptable risk."

(Image: George Munro) Colin highlighted the Fire Brigades Union's DECON campaign and research, launched in 2018, which has studied the link between fire contaminants and the health of firefighters. 

The ground-breaking work was carried out by Professor Anna Stec and the team at the University of Central Lancashire, commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union, and funded by the Firefighters 100 Lottery. 

Colin and his colleagues are now campaigning for more funding from the government to install facilities to decontaminate sites, and the introduction of screening for increased cancer markers. 

He said: "We need the government to recognise carcinogens as an occupational hazard, so that employers can give firefighters the protection they need. 

"Other countries across the world that recognise the dangers and put cancer screenings in place. 

"We're working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on the management of these cancer causing contaminants through dedicated working groups and progress has been made in recent months.

"A new standard operating procedure has been created for contaminants, and the fire service has allocated more than £3million towards reducing contaminants this year, as well as a further £500,000 per year to continue the work."