Thirty London Fire Brigade workers – 27 firefighters and three 999 control operators – have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The blaze killed 72 people, and staff have taken more than 8,000 days off work due to the condition.
A total of 8,218 working days have been lost due to firefighters needing sick leave because of PTSD brought on by the inferno. In addition, 446 days have been lost by 999 control room staff suffering psychological trauma after working on the night of the fire, some dealing with harrowing pleas from trapped residents.
Ex-firefighter's story
Ricky Nuttall, 45, a former firefighter who served for 16 years, described how his life was torn apart after fighting 550C heat to save a resident on the 15th floor of the tower block, before making the decision he could not help. Two days after the fire, he was sent back into the charred remains to help recover bodies.
Ricky said: "You could very easily piece together a picture of their final moments. And that makes it all very real. You start to think about how scared people would have been, and it's just an unimaginable, the fear and the pain that those poor people would have gone through. Seeing that and then having those images on your brain, that destroyed me."
At his lowest, Ricky said his life spiralled into drugs and alcohol, and he harboured thoughts of suicide to end the "unbearable pain". He suffered serious internal bleeding on New Year's Eve in 2022 and said he was in the back of an ambulance when he realised he needed to take control of his life.
Mental health impact
Ricky, who appeared on SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2021, said conversations with his father, Kevin, who died in February aged 66, "saved his life". He said: "It got to the point where it just hurt too much to keep breathing. And that's a scary, scary place to be. This is about just being in too much pain to continue living. And I guess I probably didn't see a realistic way that I would ever feel any different."
He added: "So then you're confronted with this idea that I was 36. And I'm thinking, 'I'm going to feel like this for the rest of my life, that could be another 50 years. I'm going to feel like this every day. Why would I want to live with this pain for 50 years?'"
Control room staff
Ricky, now a mental health advocate and published poet, explained the pressure on control operators: "Call operators who deal with people who are trapped in buildings make 'fire survival calls'. What that means is if you're in a building trapped by the conditions of the fire and you cannot self rescue, you will be told, 'Stay where you are, stay on the phone, I will stay on the phone with you until the firefighter rescues you'."
He said: "The control staff's job is to then remain on the phone with that person or persons, until the line goes dead or they're rescued. And the control staff on the night of Grenfell had to deal with 156 fire survival calls. That's 156. I think there were 11 control staff team on that night. Some of those people would have picked up the phone, listened to someone die. put the phone down, it rings, pick it up again, and listen to someone die. That's why there's such a PTSD rate. They had a horrifically difficult job."
Brigade response
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of the 72 people who lost their lives, as well as the survivors, their families, and the Grenfell communities. The Grenfell Tower tragedy profoundly affected London and changed the lives of many. It was one of the biggest challenges faced by the Brigade in living memory. The staff who attended the fire, as well as members of other emergency services who attended in support, showed courage in dreadful circumstances.
"In the immediate aftermath of the fire, all those involved were contacted individually by a counsellor and offered support. This is still available to all who worked on Grenfell – including people who may be seeking support for the first time. We have taken several steps to improve staff wellbeing and mental health support across our workforce, including the introduction of mental health first aiders; a Counselling and Trauma Service available to all staff; enhanced support for trainee firefighters; and dedicated officers to support operational staff who have attended a traumatic incident."
In September 2024, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry concluded the fire was the result of "decades of failure" by government and the construction industry. The report said all 72 deaths had been avoidable. Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick placed blame on successive governments, construction firms behind flammable cladding, and the local council. He said victims, the bereaved and survivors were "badly failed" through incompetence, dishonesty and greed.
The victims included 18 children and ranged in age from an unborn baby to an 84-year-old woman. The report concluded the victims were most likely dead after inhaling toxic fumes before flames reached them. It detailed harrowing final messages, such as Saber Neda's "I hope I haven't disappointed you" and Mariem Elgwahry's last words to her son: "I can't breathe."
Ricky is an ambassador for The Gratitude Games, a UK multi-sport event celebrating NHS staff and emergency responders while raising funds for mental health support.
