Fireground contaminants do not stay on the fireground. Soot, VOCs, PFAS and other toxins travel with firefighters long after the call is over, settling into gear, truck cabs, seats, tools, personal vehicles and common areas inside the station. Over time, this creates continuous exposure risks for crews, families and community spaces. Routine decontamination is no longer limited to turnout coats …

A new year always brings a renewed focus on health, readiness and operational safety. For firefighters, that commitment extends far beyond fitness goals or training priorities, because the gear you wear every shift carries the invisible weight of every fire you have fought. No matter how new your calendar is, your turnout gear still holds the residue, toxins and exposures …

Firefighters are trained to face danger head-on, but some of the greatest risks can’t be seen with the naked eye. The very gear that protects them in extreme environments can become a vehicle for toxic exposure long after the flames are out. A powerful new training video produced by the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative reveals just how …

By: Chief Brian Fennessy, Jeffery Stull, President of International Personal Protection, Inc. and Ret. Chief Mike Duyck  Firefighter cancer risk, contaminated PPE, and exposure accountability are no longer abstract conversations. They’re operational realities facing departments every day. In a recent Fire Engineering article, Chief Fennessey and Mike Duyck of Emergency Technical Decon sit down to address why decontamination practices must …