Firefighter’s widow campaigning for safer conditions in the fire service following tragic death of husband

An award-winning firefighter and father-of-four died suddenly in April, within 24 hours of being diagnosed with lung cancer.  Jeff Simpson’s widow, Anne Davies, believes exposure to toxic substances and a lack of protection in his job, and insufficient health monitoring, may have contributed to his late-stage cancer diagnosis and sudden passing aged 69.

In April 2024, Anne Davies, 67, lost her husband Jeff Simpson to lung cancer.  Jeff died just 20 hours after being diagnosed with the disease.  Jeff was a father-of-four, grandfather-of-two, and a former firefighter who lived with Anne in Sheffield.

Anne believes Jeff’s 35 year career in the fire service may have contributed to his lung cancer diagnosis and early death.  She is now campaigning to raise awareness of the risks, increase safety for firefighters on duty, and ensure those currently serving in the fire service are aware of the steps they can take to protect themselves.

Jeff was brought up in Chapeltown in South Yorkshire.  He later moved to London, where he trained as a firefighter, first starting to work for the London Fire Brigade in 1983.  It was here that Jeff was awarded the Chief Officer’s Commendation and the Priory of Scotland St John’s bronze medal for gallantry, after saving a 14-year-old boy who had fallen through the ice in the frozen London Docks.

Jeff returned to South Yorkshire in 1991, along with his wife Anne, moving to Sheffield and Jeff joining the South Yorkshire Fire Brigade.  He remained working for the South Yorkshire Fire Brigade until his retirement in Winter 2017.

In 2018, Jeff developed a cough which was diagnosed as interstitial lung disease.  Over the following years, he became more breathless and found walking up hills very difficult, although the monitoring figures from his lung condition clinic did not significantly change.

In April 2024, Jeff’s GP ordered him to go to hospital immediately, after routine blood tests showed low sodium levels.  At hospital, Jeff was given intravenous antibiotics, oxygen and a CT scan.

On Wednesday 10^th April 2024, Jeff and Anne were told that the CT scan had shown that he had lung cancer, which had spread to his liver and lymph nodes.  They were then told that there was no treatment options as his lungs were in such a poor state, and if he lasted the weekend, then the only treatment available would be palliative.

On Thursday 11^th April, not even 20 hours later, Jeff died in hospital in Anne’s arms.  He was 69-years-old.

Anne Davies, Jeff’s wife, said: “When Jeff passed away, I began researching links between firefighting, interstitial lung disease and lung cancer.  I felt frustrated that this wasn’t being discussed, and angry that his lung cancer hadn’t been identified earlier.

The information I found shocked me, and the more I researched, the more potential evidence I found that there could have been a direct link between Jeff’s role in the fire service, and his subsequent lung cancer diagnosis and premature death.

Jeff was an active and healthy man throughout most of his life.  He never smoked.  He played football socially until he was in his late 40s.  He was an avid hiker, and once cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

He would come home from his health assessments whilst in the fire service and tell me that he was one of the fittest firefighters in the brigade, and that the assessor had told him that he should live longer than the majority of his work colleagues. 

Perhaps he did, but he was still dead at 69 from small cell carcinoma and weakened lungs from interstitial lung disease.  Jeff died too young, too suddenly, and it has left a hole in our family that cannot ever be filled.

I believe Jeff could very likely have been exposed to toxic substances whilst he was at work, and that the PPE and guidance given was not sufficient to protect him.  There is for example, currently no UK requirement for PPE to protect against toxic gases and particulates.

I also do not believe that the health screening he was offered by his employers were sufficient and should have included more consideration of his attendance at fire incidents and the likelihood of exposure to toxins and the long-term effect of this exposure. 

When Jeff was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease in 2018, I feel insufficient weight was given to the probability that this had been caused by exposure to toxic substances, probably carcinogens.

I also feels these risk factors should have made lung cancer a regular consideration for Jeff’s medical team.  However regular testing to exclude the existence of lung cancer was never conducted.

I cannot help but question why more links were not made by medical professionals to take a more holistic approach to Jeff’s treatment.

Jeff was a kind, calm and gentle man and had three loves in life.  His family, Sheffield Wednesday, and the fire service.  He took his job very seriously, he had an exemplary sickness record, never missing a shift unless he was genuinely ill.

Jeff was a lifelong campaigner, socialist and trade unionist, and was concerned that everybody should be treated with equality, respect and fairness.  If Jeff’s passing can help raise awareness and drive change for other firefighters, and stop their families’ losing a loved one too soon like we have, I know he would be extremely proud.”

Anne is encouraging all active and former firefighters to write to their GP to ask that their profession is recorded on their medical records, and for them to request regular health monitoring to identify early signs of lung damage and potential lung cancer.  A sample GP letter for firefighters is available on the Fire Brigades Union’s website.

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