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Bay Area fire agencies receive grants to help battle cancer among firefighters
Catherine Hawley reports
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The most dangerous threat to professional firefighters is not the flames or smoke. In the fire service, cancer is the leading cause of death.
Now, $500,000 in state funding is being given to departments to buy safety equipment that will limit exposure to cancer-causing contaminants on the job.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, firefighters have a nine percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer, and are 14% more likely to die from the disease than the general public.
"What we're finding in the fire service now is that the sooner we could get out of these contaminated clothes, get showered, get all this bad stuff off of us, the better we're going to be in the long run," said Wayne Bernoska, president of Florida Professional Firefighters.
The state’s Cancer Decontamination Grant Program helps protect the health and safety of firefighters, allowing departments to buy equipment to help limit crews’ exposure to cancer-causing contaminants on the job.
"This past year we were able to double the amount of money that's going to be available to these fire stations," announced CFO Jimmy Patronis, the State Fire Marshal. "The more money that we can provide, the more funding provides greater protection for these brave heroes."
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Of the $500,000, $132,905 is going to 10 departments in the Tampa Bay region. St. Petersburg Fire Rescue said the money will help crews with cleaning after a blaze.
"When the firefighter has an exposure, which is a working fire, whatever the byproducts of that combustion, stick to the gear and everything," explained St. Pete Fire Rescue Chief James Large. "We give them a clean set. They have two sets of gear. They get a clean set, the dirty set will go in, and this extractor will cleanse that gear and then it will be dried."
The department has four clean cab engines that store the contaminated gear, and are designed for easy cleaning after leaving a scene to prevent hazardous toxins being brought back to the station. Firefighters also go through an extremely thorough physical exam every year.
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"How many did it prevent? You know, we'll never know. But we know it's making a difference," Large said.
In Pasco County, Fire Rescue’s DECON 1 truck responds to every scene, allowing crews to decontaminate, exchange clothes, and bunker gear on-site.
"They'll have everything completely clean on their way back to the station so that they can do that shower within the hour. But they could also take a call, if need be, while in route to the station," Division Chief or Health, Safety and Wellness John Schmidt said.
The department also plans to purchase a new extractor with the state grant.
In 2019, Governor Ron Desantis signed legislation that helps firefighters diagnosed with 21 different cancers. The law includes a one-time payout of $25,000 along with coverage for all out-of-pocket medical expenses for eligible Florida firefighters.