West Midlands firefighters begin helping to move bodies of coronavirus victims
Firefighters in the West Midlands have started helping to move the bodies of people who have died of coronavirus.
The Body Movement Team is comprised of firefighters from West Midlands Fire Service who have the experience and training necessary to move bodies, whether it be from hospitals, care homes or private properties during the pandemic.
Fire service bosses said they "hoped it would never come to this" but firefighters were now ready to "step up".
All have volunteered to carry out this work, said officials.
More coverage:
They are working 12-hour day and night shifts moving and handling bodies as required.
The team has undergone pre-operation psychological readiness training.
They have received emotional resilience, welfare, compassion fatigue, and burnout support.
There will be 24/7 support available from West Midlands Fire Service.
It comes after Office for National Statistics revealed almost one in four deaths in the West Midlands were attributed to coronavirus in the week ending April 3; 529 out of a total of 1,812.
Andrew Scattergood, FBU West Midlands regional secretary, said: "We hoped that it would never come to this, but there are now a considerable number of casualties in the West Midlands and firefighters are ready to step up and assist with the movement of bodies
"Our members are proud to provide a humanitarian service. They are best placed to assist with this harrowing aspect of the crisis.
"All emergency services are pulling together in this difficult period to help our communities through this outbreak. It’s deeply unpleasant work, but it is, unfortunately, necessary at this time.”
Steve Price-Hunt, FBU West Midlands brigade secretary, added: "Firefighters join their service to save lives and for most body recovery is a rare task. These teams will likely see more bodies far more frequently than they are used to – and do so under far more hazardous circumstances."
“We know this work will be difficult, but the FBU has worked hard to make sure that firefighters have the proper training and support to carry out this work safely.”
