VIDEO: Firefighters rely on their gear to protect them from heat, toxins, and cancer-causing chemicals. Now, Underwriters Laboratories, based in Research Triangle Park, has a new lab where scientists are working to make sure that gear is providing the best protection possible.
Most firefighters can tell stories about the loss of a friend or a coworker — not to fire, but to cancer.
“We had a firefighter, just a little over a year ago, passed away due to cancer, and he was a young guy,” said Chris Iannuzzi, Deputy Chief of the Durham Fire Department.
“We do know that firefighters, right now in the U.S., are seeing an increased number of cancer rates,” added Sean DeCrane with Underwriters Laboratories.
Researchers at UL are working to change that by focusing on the gear firefighters wear for protection.