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Coventry University graduate highlights need for greater support to protect firefighters
Coventry University graduate Davide Magli participating in a fire service training exercise
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Thursday 03 September 2026
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A new study produced by a Coventry University graduate and firefighter suggests more time, equipment and support is needed to help colleagues stay safe.
Davide Magli joined Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) after a successful placement during his year in industry and now works as an operational on-call firefighter, having recently graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Disaster and Emergency Management.
Those experiences inspired his dissertation, which explores how firefighters think about harmful substances they are exposed to at incidents and how this affects the way they clean themselves and their equipment afterwards.
Using surveys and focus groups with operational firefighters at LFRS, Davide found that while awareness of the risks is high, this does not always lead to consistent action. Instead, everyday pressures such as limited time after incidents, availability of kit and facilities, and workplace routines can make it difficult to follow best practice every time.
The 23-year-old's work suggests that improving safety is less about raising awareness and more about making good practice easier to carry out in real‑life conditions.
Now Davide, from Lutterworth, who is preparing to take up a full-time firefighter role with LFRS, hopes his findings will help contribute to ongoing efforts to better protect firefighter health and wellbeing.
I wanted to look at an issue that really matters to firefighters and could make a difference in practice. There’s already growing awareness of the risks but awareness on its own doesn’t always lead to consistent action.
The firefighters I spoke to weren’t resistant to change at all - in fact they were very open to improvements. What came through strongly is that people need the right support around them, whether that’s time after incidents, access to equipment or clearer routines.
Davide Magli, Coventry University graduate and on-call firefighter, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service
The study identified several simple changes that could make a difference, including clearer minimum standards, refresher training, better cleaning and laundry arrangements, improved facilities and ensuring firefighters have enough spare kit available.
The aim should be to make safe working the easy option. If the right systems and support are in place, firefighters are far more likely to carry out these routines consistently.
Davide Magli, Coventry University graduate and on-call firefighter, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service
We’re proud to support Davide’s work with Coventry University and we acknowledge and appreciate his study’s findings; it shows valuable, first-hand insight into how contamination and decontamination are experienced in real-world conditions.
Davide’s research chimes with recommendations from our most recent inspection from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRCS).
We’re committed to putting these recommendations in place, and have been working hard to implement, because protecting our staff is a priority for our service.
Simon Holden, Area Manager for Operational Response for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service
As someone already working in the service, I wanted to focus on something that was both personally meaningful and relevant to the wider sector. Fire contaminants are a growing concern but there’s still more to understand about how firefighters see the risk and what actually works in practice.
My course gave me the opportunity to look at both the practical and strategic side of emergencies, and how we can improve safety for responders and the public. Studying alongside working in the fire service has also helped me better understand the realities of the job and reinforced that this is the career I want to build long term.
Davide Magli, Coventry University graduate and on-call firefighter, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service
Davide now hopes to work with LFRS and contribute to wider sector discussions, using his findings to help shape practical improvements - from refresher training and clearer routines to better facilities and equipment - so that safe decontamination becomes easier to carry out in day-to-day operations.
In recent years and months we have invested significantly in the area of managing our firefighters’ exposure to contaminants.
This includes providing washing machines at all fire stations, additional uniform and PPE where required, enhanced decontamination supplies and equipment, and improved decontamination facilities, both on-scene and post-incident.
It’s a continuing and evolving area of work; firefighting is complex and dynamic, and we continue to learn from both operational experience and research such as Davide’s study.
This will all help us reflect on what works well, what challenges remain, and how we can continue to improve the way we protect the health and wellbeing of our employees.
Simon Holden, Area Manager for Operational Response for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service
Discover more about studying Disaster and Emergency Management at Coventry University.
