MORE than 500 of Surrey's 704 firefighters have taken sick days in the last year.
In Mole Valley, 42 officers took one or more day off with illness between January 1, 2012 and January 1, 2013, with 33 in neighbouring Reigate and Banstead and 32 in Tandridge.
Elsewhere in the county, the figure was 63 in Waverley, and 51 in Elmbridge during the same period.
Joint pain was the most common ailment, causing 120 incidents of firefighters and eight support staff to take time off. Digestive problems (60 absences), back problems (47), flu/cold (43), skin ailments (15) and stress (27) were also among the main reasons for sick leave being taken.
A firefighter whom the Advertiser agreed not to name said: "We are under just as much stress as the other emergency services. But we sometimes have to tackle huge fires or road traffic collisions that can be potentially dangerous for us.
"We all work very hard so we are going to get injured, but some of these illnesses might be completely unrelated.
"Working anywhere can be physically and mentally straining, but we can be under more pressure than most people."
Heart problems were the cause of just two firefighters calling in sick.
