Firefighter found dead in bed by horrified wife after drinking session with colleagues

Francois Childs was recovered dormant astatine location by his wife, who woke called an ambulance aft she woke up successful the mediate of the nighttime to spot her hubby lying "rigid" beside her

A firefighter who was recovered dormant astatine location by his woman had overdosed connected cocaine aft spending an day drinking with his friends, an inquest has heard.

Francois "Frankie" Childs died aft returning to his location successful Prestwich, Bury, connected September 2 aft an day with his friends and taking the Class A drug "in the beingness of his wife". Mr Childs, 44, was recovered "rigid" by his woman aft she woke up during the night, and she called an ambulance to the property.

Paramedics were incapable to revive him, however, and helium was declared dormant connected September 3, with constabulary coroners' serviceman Berndatte Hatton giving his origin of decease arsenic "cocaine-associated toxicity". The tribunal heard that Mr Childs had a storied vocation earlier his death, having served successful the equipped forces and arsenic a banker earlier helium joined the occurrence service.

The firefighter served nether Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) astatine Broughton Community Fire Station, having joined the organisation successful 2018, Manchester Evening News reports. He was antecedently an Army reservist with the instrumentality weapon platoon of the Bury Fusiliers earlier embarking connected his vocation successful banking.

GMFRS opened an online publication of condolence for the precocious firefighter successful September, with radical asked to permission messages for Mr Childs, who leaves down his wife, 2 children, parents and 3 brothers. Sarah Nattrass, Assistant Chief Fire Officer and Director of Service Delivery astatine GMFRS, said Mr Childs would beryllium "sadly missed by each his friends and colleagues".

She said: “We are profoundly saddened to perceive of the abrupt decease of 1 of our colleagues and stock our heartfelt condolences with Frankie’s family, friends and colleagues. Frankie was portion of our GMFRS household for much than six years arsenic a much-loved subordinate of Green Watch, Broughton, and helium volition beryllium precise sadly missed by each his friends and colleagues."

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) released its ain connection honouring the firefighter, remembering him arsenic a staunch protagonist of exile foundation Care 4 Calais. A national spokesperson said: "Frankie was 1 of 12 FBU members who volunteered their clip to question to France to enactment the Care 4 Calais Charity successful November of 2023.

"Care 4 Calais supports the thousands of refugees and radical seeking asylum crossed the UK and bluish France. They connection their clip to cod and administer indispensable items and supply societal support, and to assistance successful galore different antithetic ways, from replying to messages, to fundraising and admin.

"The foundation could not supply this enactment without dedicated and caring radical similar Frankie. His enactment volition not beryllium forgotten by the FBU oregon by the galore radical his efforts undoubtedly helped contributed to making refugees lives better."

Assistant coroner Michael Salt adjourned the inquest with a day for a further proceeding to beryllium decided.