An ‘epidemic’ is hurting firefighters while they protect you

CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Firefighters place their health at risk while they work to keep people, structures and the environment out of danger, according to a national support group.

About 60 percent of firefighting deaths are related to cancer, according to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. When firefighters walk into burning buildings or battle large flames, they increase their chances.

“Cancer in the fire service is an epidemic,” Heather Mazurkiewicz of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network said. “I think that the levels that it’s reaching now are causing a lot of people to really stop and take notice.”

The biggest killer among firefighters used to be cardiac complications, Mazurkiewicz said. But the Firefighter Cancer Support Network has identified 32 toxins — many of them byproducts and materials for construction and electric wiring — in fire smoke that made cancer bypass other causes of death.

“It’s not your mama’s house fire anymore. Those were all natural products that were burning, where now we have petroleum based, the electronics that are in there, so it’s a different type of exposure that firefighters have,” Mazurkiewicz said.

At just 31-years-old, Bonita Springs firefighter Giovanni Zamora understands the cancer risks well. He is a two-time cancer survivor, though he said he cannot know whether he developed cancer on the job.

“The one thing about our job is we’re surrounded by all these carcinogens after a fire and dealing with a bunch of different chemicals and it sticks with our gear,” he said. “(Cancer) it’s definitely a possibility but to really know that’s where it came from, it’s hard to tell.”

While firefighters work to protect the public, their own gear fails to keep them completely safe from nearly three dozen toxic chemicals, Mazurkiewicz said.

“They (carcinogens) absorb through the gear that is designed to protect us from heat, but it’s not protecting us from these particles or getting through the gear and absorbing into our bloodstream,” she said.

Mazurkiewicz visited Cape Coral to warn firefighters of the silent dangers involved with their profession. She also offered advice to keep themselves safe.

Local fire crews can take simple steps to decrease the absorption of toxins. Fire stations can enforce rules that require fire fighters to wear all their gear. And crews can regularly wash their gear and clean the skin of contaminants.

Those suggestions may be contradictory to ideas about the grit of firefighter gear, Zamora said, but the awareness is needed.

“Traditionally, yes. The dirtier the gear, the dirtier, the more burnt your helmet is, is more of a badge of honor. Nowadays we need to work smarter,” he said. “Now that it has affected me, I’m more cognizant of my surroundings, of what I’m doing, of what’s on my gear.”

Educating firefighters is one step in the Firefighter Cancer Support Network’s agenda. Mazurkiewicz said the network is also fighting for legislation that serves the needs of firefighters with cancer.

“There are 36 other states that have cancer presumption legislation that protects firefighters and their families when try are diagnosed. The state of Florida is not one of those,” she said.