Australia uses unique approaches to protect firefighters from carcinogens & heat injury

After the Fire’s Out: Australia uses unique approaches to protect firefighters from carcinogens & heat injury
Story & Photos by Kriss Garcia

Recently, I traveled to Australia for the second annual meeting of the International Fire Instructors Workgroup (IFIW), a loosely organized group of fire practitioners from across the world. The group’s mission: to participate in an annual informal meeting aimed at blending cutting-edge international expertise through the participation of recognized instructors and scientists.

Although the meeting was host to many discussions about fire behavior, positive pressure ventilation, gas cooling and the like, it also provided us an opportunity to look at the Australian fire service’s unique approach to controlling firefighters’ exposure to hazardous situations, including carcinogens, as well as their focus on firefighter safety through controlled rehab.

Get the Gloves On
At one training ground located in New South Wales, called Londonary, controlling exposure to carcinogen-laden soot is taken to a new level. At no time is a firefighter allowed to inhale or touch particulates related to active burning or already extinguished structure fires. Regardless of how long it has been since the last fire, no firefighter is allowed inside the burn structures without the use of protective footwear, latex gloves and a rated particulate mask.

Whether they’re at a training burn or an actual fire, after it’s extinguished, crews remove their structural gloves and immediately don latex or ruby nytryl gloves before they touch the rest of their PPE. They remove their facepiece, hood and helmet, then place a rated particulate mask over their nose and mouth. Following this, firefighters are allowed to touch their turnouts as the remainder of their ensemble is removed.

This gear is immediately placed out of service and sent out for professional cleaning. Firefighters don’t wash or decontaminate their own turnouts for fear of increased exposure. Once all gear is taken care of, firefighters wash all exposed skin. After returning to their station, often times they sauna and then shower to remove any additional remaining contaminants.

Cool & Rehydrate
Firefighter rehab is also aggressively controlled. Interior crews are monitored immediately following fire attack. Their core temperature is measured and controlled as they submerge their forearms in room-temperature water. Placing the highly vasculated area of the forearms in water quickly decreases core temperature. Firefighters also lower their turnout pants to expose the thigh area and sit in ventilated chairs that allow upper-body evaporation.

The results of this type of cooling over more conventional methods are dramatic. Along with rehydration, such methods appear to be the simplest, quickest and most effective means of controlling the firefighter’s recovery.

The U.S. fire service prides itself on its traditions and its mastery of the job--as well it should. However, we should also be open to considering how other countries battle the challenges of firefighting, including how best to protect our firefighters from heat stress and cancer-causing carcinogens. Australian practices provide an interesting starting point to the discussion.

Editor's Note: Check out the November issue of FireRescue magazine for more on the IFIW meeting and the work this group is doing to develop tactics and strategies for combating today's fuel-rich, fast-burning fires.

Kriss Garcia is a battalion chief with the Salt Lake City Fire Department, where he has worked for 26 years. An instructor for the National Fire Academy, he is a voting member of the Air Movement Control Association standard-review committee and a member of the NFPA 1021 Technical Committee.

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