Rylee Fitzgerald reports.
PASCO, Wash. — January 31st is the last day of Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. The number one leading cause of death in firefighters is cancer. An unfortunate truth is that the gear they wear to protect people is the very gear that’s hurting them.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is trying to change this.
“We have to wear the turnouts in order to be protected at a dangerous scene. The problem is every time we put them on, every time we handle them, we run the risk of getting more PFAS exposure,” said Ben Shearer with the Pasco Fire Department.
In order to take care of the very immediate danger that is fire, firefighters have to sacrifice their long-term health, and wear gear that is slowly bleeding carcinogens into their body. It’s known as PFAS, and it’s in every firefighters PPE gear in the U.S.
“The companies that make chemicals, such as PFAS have known it’s been a carcinogen since 1965. So, for over 50 years they’ve been poisoning America and we didn’t even know it,” said Ricky Walsh, IAFF 7th District Vice President located in the Tri-Cities.
Changing the way things are done
Now that fire agencies know about the carcinogens in their coats, it’s changed protocols for many stations.
“It never goes into the living quarters or the work quarters and all stays out in the truck bay,” said Shearer.
Shearer said firefighters used to put their turnout coats on and walk around the station if it was cold. Walsh explained that people used to put their children or spouses in their PPE to take photos in, but he said that won’t happen anymore. He said these changes are probably going to affect school tours as well, when they used to do the same time. They want to limit the exposure as much as possible.
Now, firefighters are only using their gear when they need fire, heat, oil and steam resistance, like when they’re out on a call. Even if their turnouts are clean and washed off, wearers are still at risk.
“We would come back, we would clean up all the trucks you know, maybe sit down and do lunch but nowadays you know as soon as we get back, we get the clothes getting washed, and then we go and get washed up,” said Shearer.
The IAFF is taking this battle to the chemical companies, because they said they’ve known about the toxicity for decades.
“It is going to be against the chemical companies and the only way to sometimes change what we come in contact on a daily basis, is by making corporations pay,” said Walsh.
Why PFAS is in Firefighting PPE
Ricky Walsh said the protective gear that firefighters wear is set to a standard by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA). Manufacturers also follow this standard.
According to the IAFF, PFAS are used as a durable water repellent finish and coating to provide water and oil repellency. It is a major component for the moisture barrier in turnout gear.
“That standard has a test in it that only gear laden with PFAS can pass,” said Walsh.
A part of the IAFF’s goal is to change the industry standard for protective gear, and stop the chemical companies from producing the PPE with PFAS at all.
Cancer is currently the number one cause of death in firefighters
“To make members aware of the threat of this known carcinogen, given the fact that three out of four firefighters that we honored last year at a Firefighters Memorial died of job-related cancer,” said Edward Kelly, general president of the IAFF.
Firefighters limit the use of their gear as much as they can now, but it’s what they wear every day. They cannot defend people from fire without putting themselves into the harmful position.
The IAFF is teaming up with several law groups to help make these changes.
“A major focus of our efforts is going to be making systemic change and getting the chemicals out of products that are protecting the people that are protecting all of us in this country,” said Daniel Blouin, with Simmons Hanley Conroy LLC, one of the new partners of the IAFF.
Right now, there’s no safety clothing alternative on the market. The IAFF is trying to get this to change.
Ben Shearer also said the safer your home is, the less firefighters have to respond to, and the less danger they’re put in by wearing their emergency gear.
READ ABOUT LOCAL HEROES AND THEIR STORIES: Firefighters sound the alarm on cancer risks during month of January
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