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South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) has emphasised its commitment to mental health after the Fire Brigade Union described a ‘crisis’ amongst staff members.

SWFRS recorded a total of 476 staff absences due to mental health between 2021 and 2024, with the figure rising year on year according to data gathered by Accident Claims Advice.

In response to these alarming figures, a fire service spokesperson said: “At SWFRS, we are fully committed to the mental health and wellbeing of all our staff, with particular recognition of the challenges that those involved in responding to traumatic incidents face in the line of duty.

“Since 2019, we’ve implemented a project that enhances mental health support, including real-time tracking of incidents and individual case reviews to provide tailored assistance.

“We continuously improve our support through the ‘Your Health’ delivery group, which uses data to address mental health across the service. This has led to the creation of wellbeing spaces, such as gardens and breakout areas, which our crews actively help create.

“We also run an annual wellbeing calendar, promoting awareness of issues including mental health, menopause, and how to support each other.”

In 2021/22, data showed that 144 staff absences were recorded, 79 of which were cited as being due to ‘stress’ while a further 20 were logged as ‘anxiety’ and 17 for ‘stress at work.’

In 2023/24, the figure reached a three-year-high with 186 SWFRS staff mental health absences recorded – a rise of 29% compared with 2021/22.

SWFRS continued: “Our in-house occupational health department provides comprehensive support to staff, and has the ability to refer colleagues to the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board for more specialised care, such as PTSD treatment.

“We have an external Employee Assistance Programme which offers free counselling, and we also have dedicated family support officers who can support bereaved relatives for any deaths in service, as well as an ongoing collaboration with key partners to support staff following the death of a child or young adult.

“We recognise that mental health is also influenced by external factors, such as the cost-of-living crisis. To address this, we have invited external parties in to give talks on financial management and other personal wellbeing topics. Our staff can suggest new initiatives through the Innovation and Improvement Scheme if they feel we are lacking provisions on any front, and we offer flexible working to support their work-life balance.

“Our approach to wellbeing is ongoing, and we remain dedicated to evolving our support to meet the ever-changing needs of our people.”