The Bath Fire & Rescue Department has adopted a high-tech solution to protect their firefighters from carcinogens. By adding the “FireLinc” app to its new extractor system, Bath becomes the first department in the state to track detailed information about every wash.
“In the past few years, cancer has been recognized as one of the major killers of career and volunteer firefighters,” said Bath Fire Chief Lawrence Renaud. In fact, a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, completed in 2015, concluded that firefighters face a 9% increase in cancer diagnosis, and a 14% increase in cancer-related deaths, compared to the general U.S. population.
“It’s the fire service’s responsibility to change past practices that have been proven to cause firefighter cancer, like wearing contaminated turnout gear. By lessening the exposure to contamination, we hope to have a positive impact on the post fire service quality of life,” said Renaud.