Barrie firefighters realize their job may be a prescription for a deadly, work-related disease down the road.

Capt. Brad Conrad, an executive member of the Barrie Professional Fire Fighters Association, said a recent study released in the United States proves it again.

Two researchers from the University of Cincinnati said that equipment used in the past didn’t do enough to protect firefighters from toxic burning material.
The local association recently posted a link to that study on its website.

The researchers found firefighters are twice as likely to develop testicular cancer and have higher rates of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and prostate cancer. The researchers confirmed previous findings that firefighters are also at greater risk for multiple myeloma.

“It’s not that we didn’t know our job could lead to cancer,” said Conrad. “But the synthetic material and bonding agents used in furniture, when they heat up, they create a toxic soup, which creates an increased risk for us. It means our job has become even more hazardous.”

Older homes used medal or wood-based materials, but Conrad said it’s different now.
And since firefighters stay in the business for 30 years or more, that time also increases the exposure to cancer-causing carcinogens, said Conrad.

Even with the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) that firefighters use today, there is still exposure to chemicals through leaching, he said. “It gets onto your gear and clothes, and the increase (in cancer) is now more associated with absorption rather than ingestion.”

To try to counter that, the province adopted a new law last year to protect firefighters and their families. Bill 221 is an amendment to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act that talks about workplace hazards for firefighters. It will give compensation to the victim or the family if a firefighter develops a work-related illness, going back as far as 1960. It was approved May 3, 2007.

Conrad has been a firefighter for 14 years and said students in pre-firefighter school, such as Georgian College, are warned about the job risks. That warning wouldn’t have deterred Conrad from putting on his gear.

“It’s a calling. Many of us don’t call it a ‘job’– it’s a lifestyle. Some excel at it and there is attrition as we (age), but you don’t really realize the hazards until you’re in the career.
“I’m very passionate about being a firefighter, it’s a lifestyle I enjoy.”

Conrad said the risks don’t just apply to firefighters, but their families too.
“Your spouse and children start to realize it is part of your job, and they have worries and concerns, but we have the support of our families.”

He said all emergency service personnel risk coming into contact with communicable diseases HIV and Hepatitis C, and it could spread to a family member. “All our positions have inherit dangers.”
But firefighters have an additional risk from being exposed to toxic smoke.

Fred LeBlanc, president of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, said there are eight cancers, and heart attacks, covered under Bill 221.

“The big issue for us is that this became retroactive to January 1960. We’ve had decades of research that firefighters had a greater risk for cancer.”

He said, since the bill passed, more than 200 claims were made by firefighters.
LeBlanc said the next step is to encourage firefighters to do early screening.

“We’re trying to promote earlier screening products, like getting colonoscopies, and making family doctors aware of their (professional risk).”

LeBlanc said there is a bit of a stereotype that firefighters are tough and ‘invincible’ and that has to be overcome first.

“Many of our members know another firefighter, or someone who has died from (a work-related illness). It’s become more personal for members.”

Not only will early screening help save a firefighter’s life, but it will save health care costs if caught early, he said.

To see a copy of the Cincinnati study, go to the Barrie Professional Fire Fighter’s website at www.barriefirefighters.com.