DELAFIELD, Wis. — Cancer is one of the leading causes of death for firefighters, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It’s one of the main reasons why protocols and safety practices are put in place at many departments across the state and country.
The job of a first responder requires skill and bravery. The men and women who suit up each day in the fire service go out on calls knowing the risk. That includes the exposure to carcinogens.
“The equipment that we have now allows us to get into fires deeper and the fires that we are going into are the worst they have ever been,” Lake Country Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Matthew Haerter said. “They are the most toxic. They get the hottest the fastest and they cause us to be exposed to things that firefighters 50 years ago never would have even exposed to.”
Haerter said the toxins that burn in homes today are much different than they were decades ago.
He said the materials used in homes today burn faster and emit toxins that have carcinogens in them.
These are the types of elements first responders are exposed to while responding to house fires and trying to save lives.
In 2023, the International Association of Firefighters tracked that cancer was the cause of death for 72% of line of duty deaths.
Haerter said this number is incredibly high, and something he would like to reduce if possible. He said they work to reduce this number on a daily basis with common everyday routines to prevent cancer.
“We put our crews into harm’s way when they need to be,” Haerter said. “We get them out when we can and we get them gear off of them as quickly as we can and get them washed properly. That has to do with the proper protocols when they are in the apparatus. It has to do with how they take it off, how we launder it and how we take care of it.”
Lake Country Fire Rescue has a list of protocols all firefighters follow to help prevent cancer.
That includes taking off dirty gear as quickly as possible after a call and using special washing techniques for their gear after it has been used in a fire response.
Haerter said they also work to rotate in and out of gear when possible to keep any toxins away from first responders.
He said one goal is to get each first responder a second set of gear to be able to rotate in and out to limit exposure to gear that hasn’t been cleaned.
However, gear is expensive. It costs around $4,000 per set of gear to outfit each firefighter with a second functional set to rotate in.
“That’s one of the big Achilles heels that we have not only at our department but… but nationwide have,” said Haerter. “Protective equipment is exceptionally expensive. It’s difficult to get everyone two sets of gear that are within the standards.”
The mission of cancer prevention is personal to Haerter. In 2015, he lost a close friend and firefighter to cancer. He said now as an assistant chief, it’s a priority to keep his first responders as safe as possible.
“It’s a different animal when people who you know are exposed to it and you see the families grieve, you see your friends die,” he said. “It’s a different animal when people who you know are exposed to it and you see the families grieve, you see your friends die,” he said. “You see people now, in my position to trust us to make the right decision,”
Haerter said he has been involved in research done with the Illinois Fire Service Institute and the University of Illinois on cancer prevention following the line of duty death of his friend, Scott Schumacher.
He said their department relies on research when it comes to new techniques and protocols to best keep first responders safe with limited exposure. He said he hopes to see the statistics of cancer deaths in the service go down in the future.
