Firefighters took pictures of ‘dead bodies of women at car crashes,’ says whistleblower
Firefighters from the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service allegedly photographed the bodies of dead women at car crashes, it has been claimed.
In an interview with ITV, a female firefighter at the service said that images were shared in a WhatsApp group where firefighters made derogatory comments about the victims.
The whistleblower added that she saw comments regarding the “type of underwear women were wearing in the car crash”.
“Retrieving the body of someone dead should tear you apart, not make you want to take photos of it, just to joke about it later.
"Because that's someone's loved one, isn't it? That's someone's relative,” the woman told ITV News.
“I'd never want to see a picture like that and it repulses you, and then you have to go back to work.
"You have to sit with this person in the truck, you have to go to fire calls with them and you know the way they feel and you know what they've sent you.
"And it just changes the whole atmosphere."
The police have launched an investigation into the claims while the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service has commissioned a review.
Ben Ansell, chief fire officer of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said: “The matters that have been raised with us are deeply concerning and we take allegations of this nature extremely seriously.
“We are extremely shocked and appalled to hear about these allegations. We would ask that any individuals affected, provide us with further information to allow us to investigate these allegations and to enable us to offer our support to them.
"There is an expectation for our staff to work in line with our code of ethics which sets out high levels of expected behaviours.
“The vast majority of our staff are good people, working hard and doing a great job. But when and if those standards are not met, we will move quickly to address it.”
The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service has also commissioned an independent review after similar accusations were raised.
The London Fire Brigade completed a review into its culture and disciplinary process last year.
