Fire Smoke
Fire Smoke Illness and Disease
It’s a simple equation: exposure to fire smoke equals a higher risk of cancer, illness and disease. Air management is the foundation to prevent exposure to the toxicants and carcinogens in fire smoke. Firefighters’ SCBAs give them permission to enter the fireground, which should always be considered an IDLH environment. Today’s fires are hotter and burn faster than ever before, which becomes even more challenging in the responses to high-rise, big box, and warehouses with mega stories and hundreds of thousands of square footage.
According to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), cancer caused 66% of career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from 2002-2019. All 50 states have some level of presumptive cancer legislation in place for firefighters.
While firefighter air management programs and situational awareness training have made significant progress in preventing exposures and changing behaviors, additional efforts are needed. FAC’s mission is to educate, firefighters on cancer and disease prevention as by partnering with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network and promoting the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer.
