Sudden Death: A Fire and Rescue Perspective

The fire and rescue service provides a first-class immediate response to all types of fires and also focuses on preventative fire safety education targeted at the public. During call-outs, firefighters work in extremely difficult circumstances in which they are exposed to devastating images of human suffering and, inevitably, sudden deaths frequently occur. This chapter exposes the extent of suffering and pain which firefighters witness and considers the way in which their team camaraderie helps them to get through the awfulness of the sudden deaths they deal with daily.