Welfare

166. Following the incident GMFRS recognised that the scene faced by the initial attending crews was clearly of an extreme nature. Aware of the Grenfell Tower fre and the impact of that incident, anxiety levels were reported as high by some frefghters and offcers who attended the scene.

167. It is clear also that some personnel, particularly those who attended in the early stages of the incident, subsequently left the scene not clear as to whether there was a loss of life yet to be determined. Many left the incident assuming that there was still residents inside the building, in areas that had been involved in fre, subject to severe structural damage and therefore unable to be safely searched.

Key Observation

Some personnel left the incident scene, many remaining on duty for the remainder of the shift, with the thought of the potential mass fatalities as yet not discounted. This had the potential to impact on health and wellbeing of individuals. It is of note that had the incident resulted in fatalities confrmed, critical incident debriefs and associated welfare procedures would have automatically been initiated.