A new era of fire fighter safety began in Vancouver, B.C. Wednesday when the first sets of turnout gear without carcinogenic PFAS chemicals arrived at a city firehall.
The shipment of 137 sets of StedFast’s PFAS-free StedAIR turnout gear – including firefighting coats and pants – Is the first installment to arrive in Vancouver after the city’s April announcement of a one-time fire department budget increase of $2.8 million for the apparel. Vancouver became the first North American city to commit to transitioning to PFAS-free gear.
A total of 443 sets will arrive in Vancouver by the end of 2024, with all the city’s 900 fire fighters receiving one set of PFAS-free turnout gear in the first quarter of 2025. Fire fighters will keep their current gear as a second set when their new gear is being cleaned; all gear will be PFAS-free within five years.
Vancouver Local 18 President Katrina Davison said the gear’s arrival is a huge win for the city’s fire fighters and she’s grateful to Mayor Ken Sim and Fire Chief Karen Fry for their commitment to fire fighter safety.
“It shows that our fire chief and mayor truly care about our health by reducing our exposure to carcinogens and helping to lower our risk of cancer,” she said. “It means we can spend less time worrying about the gear we wear and more time focusing on meeting the increasingly challenging needs of our city.”
The IAFF has made addressing occupational cancer in the fire service a priority, including leading the charge for safe alternatives to PFAS-laden firefighting gear.
Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a class of fluorinated substances linked to a wide range of health problems including cancer and adverse impacts to human reproductive, developmental, endocrine and immunological systems. The chemicals are incredibly difficult to breakdown, leading scientists to refer to PFAS as “forever chemicals.” The toxins have been used in all three layers of firefighting gear to repel oil and water. In a media release, Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry said the new gear is one of the many important steps the service is taking to reduce the risk to fire fighters. “I am super proud that we continue to lead cancer prevention initiatives in the fire service and are also providing our staff with the best protective gear in VFRS history.”
In September, municipal leaders at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities conference adopted a motion asking the provincial government to provide financial support for the transition to PFAS-free fighting gear.
Occupational cancer is the leading cause of fire fighter deaths in Canada, accounting for more than 94 per cent of all line-of-duty deaths among IAFF members.