In 2014, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor after 26 years as a firefighter. I was aware that firefighters were more likely than those in other occupations to be diagnosed with cancer; I just never thought it would be me. Through my department in Kent, Washington, and the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters, we applied for and received a state grant to work on a best practices manual for reducing exposures to carcinogens. We looked around the country and the world to find those best practices already in place. We found research being conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Underwriters Laboratories, the NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation, the University of Arizona, the University of Miami, and others.
Together, we developed “Healthy In, Healthy Out,” a comprehensive document that outlines the best practices that exist today to reduce exposures to carcinogens. We know that the products of combustion are toxic not only through respiratory exposure but also by dermal absorption and ingestion. It is important to clean your PPE. It is not okay to continue to have these toxins enter your body. It is important to avoid contamination transfer to your apparatus, your station, and your personal vehicle and home. It is easy to place your contaminated PPE in a plastic garbage bag after a fire to transport back to the station for further cleaning. Washing your hands, face, and neck at the scene prior to eating or drinking can reduce your ingestion and dermal exposures as well.
As research continues to identify better cleaning and contamination control methods, so must the “best practices” be changed. Find “Healthy In, Healthy Out” at www.wscff.org or by e-mailing bgallup@pugetsoundfire.org.
Beth Gallup
Captain
Puget Sound (WA) Regional Fire Authority
