I.C.I. fire study

Press, 20 December 1988, Page 6

I.C.I. fire study

PA Wellington An independent panel of health professionals will make a full study of the impact of the 1984 1.C.1. fire on the firefighters involved. The Minister of Health, Mr Caygill, said yesterday that each of the 250 firefighters in the Mt Wellington, Auckland, fire would be interviewed by community health registrars. Those interviews would determine what further treatment or other followup would be necessary, he said.

Several fire-fighters involved in the fire have reported continual illness and the recent death of one of them prompted the Health Department to see if an inquiry was necessary.

Mr Caygill said this ac-

tion had been decided upon after discussions with the Auckland Fire Service and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters’ Union.

He said the fire-fighters fell into three groups: those who had had no health problems; those that have a condition, but are satisfied with their treatment; and those with conditions who are not satisfied with their treatment.

Those in the last group were of concern to Mr Caygill. “Clearly they and their families need help and reassurance.”

He said though most of the fire-fighters had not suffered lasting ill effects, it was important to talk to each of them so that there was a proper basis for

comparison. The outcome of the study might have wider implications in relation to the impact of agricultural chemicals on health. 1.C.1. treated about 30 people on the day of the fire, 21 of whom were employees. One big review of those involved took place one month after the fire and there was a second review five months later. None of those treated by 1.C.1. medical staff have developed symptoms similar to those experienced by some firefighters.

The New Zealand Fire Service has also been monitoring its staff’s health with a questionnaire developed to check fire-fighters’ health r