Best Practices For Preventing Firefighter Cancer: Report from the CTIF Firefighters Health Commission year meeting in Oslo June 2024

The CTIF Health Commission met in Oslo for a yearly physical meeting during Delegates Assembly. This is the report from that meeting, which also contains a set of Best Practices for Preventing Firefighter Cancer. 

The meeting started at 9am with talking about the cancer prevention in the fire departments. In most countries it is a focus to minimize the exposure of cancer-causing carcinogens from fires. 

Many deferent factors play a role in this minimizing. The fire house should be divided in clean and contaminated areas to avoid cross contamination, both inside the actual fire house and in the washrooms. 

The above PDF report contains more photos and notes from this interesting meeting and the discussions held there. 

Please also find the attached  Best Practices For Preventing Firefighter Cancer. Both of these are downloadable above. 

Procedures on the scene to undress and shower “shower within the hour” and how to handle contaminated turnout gear. Experiences was shared and two posters of “best practice and recommendations” were debated. The posters are shared in this summit. No one expect everything to be implemented over night, however the end goal should always be the end goal and prioritized. 

On the questions of proper cleaning of turnout gear the liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) system was discussed and there is no doubt that this is the method to use to meet the REACH regulation and OEKO TEX 100 standard, and at the same time to avoid heavy pollution to our environment due to the use of chemicals in traditional washing. 

Personal wash after a fire was also discussed and it make sense to follow a procedure: shower without using soap and scrub, sweat (could be sauna/inferred sauna), shower only with water before using soap. 

Mold in the fire station can affect firefighter health

Because of the bilateral meetings outside the meetings HC left the fixed agenda to talk about an issue brought to us about another occupational hazard in the fire service not as much in focus as cancer. It concerns older fire houses where mould is growing on the walls. 

Members of the HC have also experienced cases with mould in fire houses. When mould is discovered the rooms and/or the entire building must be sealed off airtight and a decontamination or even renovation must be done. It is not safe to use the rooms/building before all traces of mould is gone.

Mould can cause several symptoms such as: Allergic reactions: This can include symptoms such as sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, runny nose, and skin rashes. Respiratory problems: Coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and in severe cases, asthma attacks. Headaches and fatigue: Prolonged exposure can lead to chronic headaches and a general feeling of fatigue. Cognitive and neurological symptoms: In some cases, exposure to mould can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and even memory loss.

HC heard stories about fire houses containing mould and several firefighters with light and hard symptoms without anything done. That approach is concerning, and in most countries even against the law. 

After a needed lunch HC turned the focus on psychological working environment in the fire service. 

HC had a good debate and share of knowledge about how our countries deal with psychological hygiene and how much focus is on this. Psychological defusing and debriefing and how and when are this used and by who. There are differences in each country and even from fire department to fire department. 

It is important to remember that everyone is deferent and have deferent ways to react from a traumatic situation. Even the same person can be more sensitive in some periods of ones life. Not only traumatic experiences from alarm calls play a role, also issues like gender, ethnicity, sexuality etc. can be a source of trauma. The general culture and the leadership within the organization is also important to create a psychological welfare. If nothing is done to improve the psychological welfare that itself will become a problem. 

The report “Heroes Are Also Human: An International Examination of Mental Health in the Fire Service and its Impact on the Emotional Well-being of Firefighters” was debated. 

The report touches many issues such as culture, budget, tabu, trust in the organization, prevention and the big deference of the focus on taking care of the firefighters as well as the leaders. 

The firefighters and the leadership face deferent challenges in their jobs and therefore has deferent triggers. However, the importance is to treat each other with respect and tolerance. Education, prevention and structure to help when psychological illness occur seems to be what is needed.

The founder of “Fire to light” and Lead Researcher of the report Brandon Evans participated in the last hour on Zoom to tell HC about the work behind the report and answer questions from HC. Thank you, Brandon, for standing up and putting on this important topic.

You can download the full report here: https://www.firetolight.org/Report-Heroes-are-also-human 

Before leaving Oslo and head home HC visited the new fire station in Oslo that was build as being a clean environment station with the principle of dividing into clean and contaminated spaces. It was good to see the development of fire houses are going in the right direction for the protection of firefighters’ long term health risk.

Thank you to firefighter and member of CTIF hazmat commission Magne Finholdt for showing HC your station and its facilities and for the debates during the tour.

Finally on behalf of the CTIF Health Commission I want to pay my respect and gratitude to Dorothee Ktharina Knauf-Hübela as she had her last meeting with the HC. Dorothee war always proactive and honest in our work and meetings and that is important and highly appreciated. You will be missed in the commission Dorothee. Thank you for all the discussions and deeper talks. HC wish you only all the best in your future.

Participants:

Tommy B. Kjær, Denmark.

Martin zur Nieden, Germany.

Anders Christian Geertsen, Norway.

Dorothee Katharina Knauf-Hübel, Luxembourg.

Clemens Novak, Austria.

Brandon Evans, Fire to light, was with us the 19th afternoon on Zoom to answer questions and continue debate about his report on mental health “Heroes Are Also Human”.

Photos: Tommy B. Kjær and Martin zur Nieden.