The Go Green Clean Cancer Awareness and Prevention Program is using a donated Alexis Fire Equipment pumper to educate firefighters and fire departments about the risk of carcinogens at fire scenes and distribute decon equipment for gross decon turnout gear at fire incidents.
John L. Swan, chief at Colona (IL) Fire Protection District and past president of the Illinois Firefighters Association, founded the program, which is registered as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Swan points out the program’s mission statement says the initiative is dedicated to developing and promoting an effective health intervention program to reduce the risks of cancer to firefighters at the local, state and national levels.
As part of the program, Swan accepted the donation of an Alexis pumper used to carry and distribute the decon equipment, which is then donated to fire departments after they go through a brief training on its use.
“We want to provide training and educational materials to all firefighters to raise their awareness of the firefighter cancer crisis,” Swan says. “So the program assists in the procurement of equipment necessary for post-fire or post-exposure cleaning and decontamination.”
Jeff Morris, president of Alexis Fire Equipment, notes that the pumper his company donated to the Go Green Clean program is a 1995 engine built on an HME chassis and cab with a 1,250-gallon per minute (gpm) pump and a 750-gallon water tank. “The pumper is a fully functioning unit that was originally built for Rochelle (IL) Fire Department,” Morris observes. “When Rochelle ordered a new pumper from us, we got the 1995 rig back on a trade-in, and we then used it as a loaner pumper for departments that needed it. When we heard about the Go Green Clean initiative, we donated it to the program.”
Swan said the program is assisted by the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the Illinois Fire Service Institute, and MABAS Illinois (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) in providing training and equipment distribution.
“We take great pride in the Illinois State Fire Marshal who was able to secure the funding necessary to provide kits of decontamination equipment for every department in the state of Illinois,” Swan says.
Matt Perez, retired Illinois State Fire Marshal, says the way the education and distribution program works is that a fire department and its firefighters go through a video training program about carcinogens on fire scenes that was developed by the Illinois Fire Service Institute, and once completed, would be eligible to receive a decon training bucket full of decon equipment free of charge.
“We got a $350 million grant that we put in the State Fire Marshal’s budget which provided enough decon buckets for every fire department in Illinois,” Perez says. “MAVIS Illinois helped us with the distribution of the buckets. The buckets that were remaining from that effort were donated to the Go Green Clean campaign.”
Swan notes that research has shown that firefighters have a higher risk of contracting all types of cancer than the general U.S. population, largely because synthetic building materials used in modern structures, including furniture and paint, release carcinogens when burned.
He cites five things that firefighters can do to protect themselves from particulates and carcinogens.
• Wear a SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) from the fire attack through overhaul to limit inhalation of carcinogens.
• Clean yourself off during gross decon to remove soot as soon as possible.
• Keep contaminated turnout gear and equipment out of the station’s living and sleeping quarters. Also, don’t take contaminated turnout gear home.
• Make sure turnout gear is cleaned and inspected regularly.
• Maintain a personal exposure log of all fire calls.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Ariz.-based journalist, the author of three novels and five non-fiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment editorial advisory board. He served 22 years with Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including the position of chief.
