AFOA Annual Conference 2024 focuses on mental health and well-being

Keynote speaker Professor Rowena Hill MBE of Nottingham Trent University shared a thorough review of key learnings from three recent Fire Service commissions covering suicide in the profession. Professor Hill called for an holistic view of well-being through firefighters’ whole careers and into retirement and one that covers the whole of the Fire Service (including operational staff).

According to Professor Hill, promoting psychological and physical good health for all, being mindful and operating in a connected environment with a sense of belonging is the best route forward for suicide prevention. Hill also highlighted the wide range of suicide prevention support resources available on The Fire Fighters Charity’s website.

Battling with PTSD

Mental health professional Andy Pike shared an open account of his own mental health battles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He duly highlighted the hidden costs of suicide to show just how cost-effective mental health interventions can be in the real world.

Kristina Stiles, clinical nursing specialist for burns and plastic surgery and client liaison manager at specialist law firm Leigh Day, delivered an impactful presentation on the vital importance of burns-related First Aid.

Patients may not reach a specialist burns unit in the UK for between 6 and 24 hours, by which time irreparable damage may have been done. 25% of burns-related deaths can be prevented by 20 minutes of First Aid cooling with running water, which must be done within three hours. Passing on an incident history with the patient is also essential.

Alternative fuels

Graeme Day gave a wide-ranging presentation covering the latest guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The CAA is looking closely at the area of alternative fuels including hydrogen and Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Development-focused Task Forces are actively looking to widen the scope of regulations to cover alternative fuel for planes, vehicles, PPE and more, whether they be within Eurocae, ACAAF-TF, ICAO or the CAA.

In a second CAA-focused session, Vertiports policy specialist Jeremy Hartley explored the potential impacts of – and those considerations arising from – the emergence of Advanced Air Mobility including space travel, supersonic flight and vertical take-off and landing. Several types of aircraft are in development and flying now including fixed wing, rotary wing, multi-copter, lift and cruise and vectored thrust. As Hartley explained, these present a number of design considerations for vertiports.

Engineering support technician Karl Scammell presided over an overview of the Air Accident Investigation Branch’s work in 2023 and shared learnings from three recent incidents: the complex rescue and recovery of a light aircraft that crashed into a cliff on the Isle of Man, a lithium battery-centred fire in a C42 aircraft and a light aircraft rescue in Suffolk, where the aircraft under discussion was fitted with a ballistic recovery system.

Learning from experience

Martin Hope, Fire Service manager at Leeds Bradford Airport, shared learnings from the occasion when a Tui Boeing 737 Max aircraft skidded off the runway during Storm Babet last October.

The airport Fire Service already had a good working relationship with the local authority’s Fire Service, but regular liaison increased after the event. Training, including a recent exercise carried out in the snow, proved invaluable. The whole operation was undertaken under JESIP principles, which worked well.

Claire Hoyland, vice-chair of Fire Aid, shared information on the charity’s overseas projects which have involved donating Fire and Rescue Service equipment and training to over 40 countries. Hoyland called for donations and support for its ongoing project at Lulka Airport in Nepal.

The day closed with an evening gala dinner and awards presentation. Falklands War veteran Simon Weston CBE served as the guest speaker. The evening’s raffle and auction raised a substantial sum of money for The Fire Fighters Charity.

*Further information is available online at www.afoa.org.uk