We all know that firefighting is a career that comes with risks. Volunteer and paid firefighters have always debated who fights the hotter fires, and that will continue as long as there is a paid and volunteer service.
But a common thread among both is the inability of officers and leadership to enforce proper SCBA use on fire scenes. There are many schools of thought on when you should don or doff your SCBA.
However, the bottom line is that wearing your SCBA for an entire fire or hazardous event will decrease your odds of inhaling toxic air, and so minimize the risks of developing cancer.
This article will discuss some common misnomers about when to use your SCBA. I was inspired to focus on this subject after talking with firefighters across the country. The intent of the article is to show a video with a particular common phrase that is often said in relation to packing up. Your job as the reader is to decide if this common practice is worth continuing.
“If the fire isn’t that bad I tell my guys to save their air and use their Nomex hood to help block the smoke”
“Car fires and dumpster fires are not jobs, you do not need SCBA”
“Don’t let the first time you breath in smoke be your last”
“We typically do not pack up once the fire is knocked down”
“You do not need to pack up on an exterior attack”
With studies consistently tying higher rates of cancer with firefighters, it highlights the need to wear SCBA at all times and to maintain proper PPE to help reduce the risks.
Firefighters are exposed to smoke-related carcinogens as well as additional carcinogens from asbestos, diesel exhaust, PCBs, and PCAs. This exposure to toxic smoke and fumes can be decreased by wearing full PPE and utilizing the full potential of your SCBA by actually using it.
According to NIOSH, firefighters have:
- 2 times the incidence for brain cancer
- 2 times the incidence for liver cancer
- 2.8 times the incidence for colon and rectal cancer
- 2.5 - 3 times the incidence for bladder cancer
- A higher incidence for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- A higher incidence for urinary cancer
An increased risk for:
- Stomach cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Skin cancer
There is no reason to carve minutes off your life by not wearing SCBA during your operations. One of the worst times to decide not to pack up is during overhaul, a period in which the highest level of toxic gases typically occurs.
It’s sadly the case that this is often the most popular time for firefighters to remove their SCBA. We cannot be complacent and let our guards down. Vehicle, dumpster, and miscellaneous fires should not only be considered as jobs, but killers as well.
It’s important that leadership create specific guidelines for wearing SCBA and enforce them. There must be consequences for not wearing SCBA, and officers should enforce them to protect the health and safety of their crew.
Our leadership must also lead by example. The fire officer cannot enforce a guideline they do not follow themselves. How can we expect the new or probationary firefighter to follow a guideline that is not department wide and not enforced by those at the very top. The days of being called a wimp or pressured by senior members to not pack up need to come to an end.
Finally, it comes down to the individual firefighter. The brave firefighter is the one who consciously decides to wear SCBA and ignore the negative comments from fellow firefighters and officers.