Protecting their firefighters, that’s what the Clarkston Fire Department is doing with a new exhaust removal system.
KLEW News Reporter Kaila Lafferty explains it will help the lives of those who spend their time saving ours. Firefighters are exposed to dangers everyday as part of their job, but one of the most deadly is cancer. And the cause might surprise you.
"Diesel exhaust carries cancer causing carcinogens," said Ben Schuster, Clarkston Firefighter EMT.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, firefighters have higher rates of digestive, oral, urinary, and respiratory cancer than the rest of the U.S. population.
"These cancers are actually caused by the carcinogens in the diesel exhaust," said Schuster.
And to help combat the risk, this week Clarkston Fire Department installed a new system that intakes the diesel when they fire up an engine.