This was like no other job for the 250 who fought the blaze all night
THEY were the first ones in, and the last ones out. For the almost 250 firefighters who rushed to the Grenfell Tower inferno in the early hours of Wednesday morning, some from as far away as Leatherhead in Surrey, it was a challenge like none they’d ever experienced before. Bigger, higher, deadlier.
Even the most senior firefighter in the capital, London Fire Service Commissioner Dany Cotton, said it was the worst she had seen in a 29-year career. Another compared it to the World Trade Center on 9/11.
A London firefighter who attended the scene, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “It was absolutely horrific at Grenfell, and it’s still very very raw.
“I have seen some really horrible things that I’ve never experienced seeing before and hope I will never see again. It will stay with me all my life. We were offered a session with a counsellor which I took up, and it did help, but nothing will get those images out of my mind.”
Later in the evening and into yesterday morning, exhausted, shell-shocked firefighters rested against walls in their helmets and kit. Their faces filthy from ash and smoke, they had been battling to rescue trapped residents for well over 12 hours. The blaze they were attempting to bring under control had needed fewer than 30 minutes to engulf 24 storeys.
The Queen has also paid tribute to the “bravery” of firefighters. Buckingham Palace said: “Prince Philip and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services officers who put
‘They’re tough men and women, but this won’t go away easily, and they’ll need our help’
their own lives at risk to save others.”
Yesterday, most of those firefighters had the day off to rest and recover.
Nine were reported to have suffered minor injuries, including burns, smoke inhalation and exhaustion – but the psychological impact is as yet unknown.
“We like to think of ourselves as rufty-tufty heroes – they are heroes, but they have feelings, and people were absolutely devastated,” Ms Cotton said, standing on a pavement near the still-smouldering tower.
According to Gareth Beeton, London regional chairman of the Fire Brigades Union, every firefighter involved finished their shift on Wednesday with a counselling assessment at Paddington Fire Station.
In over two decades with the London Fire Brigade, Mr Beeton has seen numerous events have profound, long-term psychological effects on firefighters: the 1987 King’s Cross fire; the 7/7 bombings; last year’s Croydon tram derailment. Some have left the service due to their traumas.
Cuts to the brigade over the past decade have seen the number of full-time counsellor positions fall from 14 to just two, to cover more than 2,500 officers and firefighters.
“These days at least there is an awareness of PTSD, stress and anxiety, so we know the signs of it in the service, but we can’t respond if we don’t have the staff,” Mr Beeton said.
“The boys this week have seen a lot of horror. Families young and old trapped in that tower, flaming materials raining down on them, having to give CPR outside, watching people trapped. They’re tough men and women, but this won’t go away easily, and they’ll need our help.”
Nick Hurd, the policing and fire minister, said the Government would do “everything we can” to provide trauma counselling for firefighters.