State Agencies Launch Preliminary
Exposure Reduction Project in Illinois
Joint agency effort to reduce cancer risks
to Illinois fire service members
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[May 06, 2020]
The Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI), Office of the Illinois
State Fire Marshal (OSFM), and Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Illinois
(MABAS) today announced the creation of the Illinois Preliminary
Exposure Reduction Project. The project was developed to deliver
critical firefighter health and life safety research, education,
training and basic equipment to fire departments across the state.
The intent of the project is to raise awareness of the increased
cancer risks faced by firefighters, provide departments with free
basic equipment that can be used for preliminary exposure reduction
for personnel on incident response scenes, as well as training on
how to properly use those tools.
“Reducing the occupational life safety risks of firefighters is at
the heart of the IFSI mission. Educating firefighters about those
risks and providing them with the knowledge and tools to mitigate it
could not be more important to IFSI or the fire service,” said IFSI
Director Royal P. Mortenson.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) can become contaminated after
use by a firefighter. Effective on-scene decontamination can reduce
the level of surface polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by 85%
following an incident.
“We have come to understand there is a direct link between
occupational exposure and cancer. Exposure comes in the form of
airborne contamination and particulate present during both emergency
and training fire responses. By-products of combustion such as
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), toxic gases, and other particulate are present inside and
outside of a structure, even in the absence of visible smoke,” said
ISFI Director of Research Dr. Farzaneh Masoud.
According to a study by the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), firefighters face a 9 percent increase in
cancer diagnoses and a 14 percent increase in cancer-related deaths
compared to the general population. OSFM has provided a grant to the
IFSI to help support the development, implementation and purchasing
of the products needed for the decontamination buckets.
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“The OSFM finds these statistics unacceptable and is dedicated to helping our
brothers and sisters reduce their exposure to the risks associated with the
burning of synthetic building materials present in today's construction. This
grant is meant to help the firefighters of Illinois minimize their exposure to
these carcinogens. We appreciate the work and expertise supplied by our partners
at IFSI Research, IFSI and MABAS in this effort” said Illinois State Fire
Marshal Matt Perez.
The training provided by IFSI will help departments effectively use materials
provided to decontaminate personnel on-scene. If departments are not able to get
a bucket due to limited supplies, information is provided in the training videos
and on the IFSI website to help them create their own.
MABAS, who has several regional distribution sites across the state, will be
instrumental in acquiring and distributing the materials for the buckets to
those designated sites for departments to obtain them.
“MABAS is a proud partner in the Preliminary Exposure Reduction Project in the
effort to protect the health of firefighters, and their families, in Illinois.
MABAS has received the components of the kits and will work to establish
distribution points throughout the State and at the MABAS Readiness Center in
Wheeling,” said MABAS Illinois Director Glen Ericksen.
All fire departments within the State of Illinois are eligible to receive free
equipment after completion of the training. Supplies are limited, and
departments are encouraged to sign-up and to complete the training soon.
Training and additional resource information is available at fsi.illinois.edu.
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