Local fire districts say they’ve been concerned for decades about high rates of cancer in members of the fire service and have been taking measures to be more careful with turnout gear, which a new study says may be dangerous to the health of firefighters.

The International Association of Fire Fighters and Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association recently issued a joint statement advising members of the adverse health risks associated with firefighter turnout gear — not only because their gear comes in contact with dangerous chemicals, but also because the gear is made with materials suspected to cause health problems.

Recent studies have shown all three layers of the protective clothing contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals that have been linked to cancer — the leading cause of firefighter deaths.

The IAFF and Metro Chiefs encourage members to reduce their exposure to PFAS by limiting use of turnout gear to emergency responses where necessary, and the organizations are in continuing discussions with manufacturers to eliminate PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” from turnout gear entirely.

“This is the challenge of our generation, and if we don’t act, it will be the challenge of our children’s generation,” said IAFF General President Edward A. Kelly.

“We can’t just salute in front of the church and fight for better benefits. We need to combat what’s killing us, and I am committed to making sure we do everything we can to extinguish cancer from the fire service. That starts with removing PFAS from our turnout gear and, until PFAS-free options exist, reducing our exposure as best we can.”

Officials for Medford Fire Department and Jackson County Fire District 3, which provides service to over 54,000 residents in White City, Central Point, Eagle Point, Sams Valley and Gold Hill, have been focusing on the issue for at least a decade.

Both agencies say policies are in place requiring firefighters to wear personal protective equipment during all phases of firefighting, overhaul and while working in smoke to minimize exposure to dangerous PFAS.

Justin Bates, deputy chief of strategic services for Fire District 3, said his district utilizes special washing machines for turnout gear and enforces strict rules about where turnout gear can be stored.

“We’ve been pretty proactive here locally with cancer awareness and really being on top of things as far as cleaning kits for the firefighters when they come out of a structure fire and with having them take gear off and, with soap and water, clean down their skin immediately after,” Bates said.

“We’ve been doing that for quite a few years. All the stuff within structure fires is really nasty, and we don’t know the effects of a lot of that, long term. We do know that a lot of retired firefighters are ending up getting cancers later in life, so it’s important to us as a district to take a proactive approach.”

Bates said turnout gear is permitted in a designated area, never inside firehouse living quarters.

“When I first started, you’d bring your gear into the station. Even when you were sleeping, you’d set your turnout gear right next to your bed while you were sleeping,” Bates said.

“Now we have a blue line concept, which is a line between the apparatus bay where you can have your turnouts — it’s what we consider a kind of dirty zone out there.”

Bryan Baumgartner, Medford Fire deputy chief of operations, said his department has been proactive, too.

“As a department, we always want to be on the leading edge, especially when it has to do with firefighter health and safety. For many years, in these areas being identified for limiting exposure, we have had in our policy to meet or exceed recommendations,” Baumgartner said, noting that regular cleaning, inspections and replacements are done to ensure minimal exposure to contaminants.

“Every fire response where turnouts are required, they are decontaminated and laundered immediately. All our firefighters have a spare set. After every fire, they clean any exposed areas before returning to the firehouse and then shower for final decontamination before they’re cleared for return for duty.”

Baumgartner said protective equipment has been prohibited from being in living quarters for years, too.

“We are meeting those criteria and have been for many years. With the PFAS-containing chemicals, if technology comes up with personal protective gear that doesn’t include any, it will be better for all responders,” said Baumgartner.

“Personnel are our number one resource and commodity to help the public. When we learn new things, we want to take the best and right steps to keep them as safe as we can.”

Bates, who has been in the fire service for 28 years, acknowledged it was sobering to think that the gear protecting firefighters for generations can in fact cause harm.

“For me, personally, it makes me wonder how many other clothes or products we all use that have that sort of stuff in them or are made with some of those really bad chemicals. There’s probably stuff that we shouldn’t be wearing at all that they’re putting in everyday items,” he noted.

“Historically, we had been focused on the contaminants we would get from the structure fires we go on. For years, nobody thought that the actual turnouts themselves might have been contributing to some of the problems. Now we handle them like they’re contaminated, whether they’re freshly washed or not. We handle all our gear very deliberately to minimize the risks.”

For more information, see www.iaff.org/pfas/

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or bpollock@rosebudmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.