Fighting more than fires

There are certain perils that firefighters expect in the line of duty. They face collapsing buildings, hazardous situations and emergency rescues with a grace and bravado unique to their field.

But there’s another danger that’s eating away at the brave brotherhood. And it’s something that no amount of training could ever prepare for — cancer.

In growing numbers, work-related cancers are taking the lives of firefighters. And most surprisingly, it’s not from the smoke they breathe in, says Capt. Mark Collins.

“Everything is made of plastic,” he says, from furniture and clothing to electronics and kitchenware. And when those plastics burn, as in a house fire, they create “exotic mixes” of carcinogenic fumes.

There are 70,000 toxic substances on file with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with an almost infinite number of potential untested combinations.

Some of that will always get into a firefighter’s system, he says.

“It gets up in your face,” Collins says, and is absorbed through skin and hair.

Another Chilliwack firefighter, Capt. Ben Fryer, says it takes a long time before those absorbed substances leave the body.

“Even with the full turnout gear now, you can still smell it coming out of your skin days later,” he says, especially during showers.

So it’s no wonder that firefighters are falling ill at a faster rate than the rest of us. Studies from around the world have indeed found higher rates of cancer among firefighters.

The assumption is that the constant exposure not just to smoke, but the cancerous substances hanging in the air during and after a fire, has a long and lasting effect.

But it wasn’t until 2005 that a major step was taken to protect the welfare of sick firefighters, and provide “in the line of duty” death benefits for their spouses and families.

Five provinces in Canada now have “presumptive legislation” that goes to bat for firefighters, saving them from lengthy court battles for proper compensation.

B.C. is one of them, and the Workers Compensation Act lists seven types cancer designated as occupational diseases for firefighters. They are brain, bladder, colorectal, kidney and ureter cancers, as well as leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. There are minimum working periods for each cancer to be considered work-related, anywhere from five years (leukemia) to 20 years (lymphoma, colorectal and kidney cancer).

Collins and Fryer say there haven’t been any cases of presumptive cancers within the Chilliwack Fire Department, but there have been in Abbotsford. And in the fall of 2007, firefighters across the continent mourned Vancouver firefighter Robert Hall.

Hall was a lead player in making presumptive legislation happen. He died of colorectal cancer presumed to be an occupational death.

Collins says one of the most important things firefighters can do for themselves is ensure they’re using their gear properly.

“The turnout gear is 100 per cent better than it used to be,” he says.

It’s also important to remember that the danger does not disappear when the flames are stamped out. Smoldering debris can release dangerous fumes well after the fire has gone out, he says, and after many rescuers have removed at least some of their protective gear.

NOT A TYPICAL BIKE TOUR

Capt. Al Braatz of the City of London, Ontario, was in Chilliwack this week with the Typically Canadian Tribute Tour.

His 23-year old son began organizing a cross-country bicycle ride with three friends about a year ago. Braatz is the support person to the four-man team, which will use the entire summer for the trek. Their goal, like many who traverse from sea to sea, is to raise money for cancer research.

But their connection to firefighters is unique, and a direct result of Braatz’ career.

“In my city, over the past 23 years, there have been eight to 10 guys who have died from these types of cancer,” he says. “Most of them were in their mid-thirties.”

The Typically Canadian Tour is stopping in 72 communities, with the main attraction being the fire halls in those cities. They hope to receive $720,000 to forward onto the Canadian Cancer Society. The Chilliwack Firefighters Charitable Society donated $1,000 when the tour stopped here on Monday.

And while fire halls are providing a place to park their RV, meet with media and get some rest along the way, a website is providing a place for the tour to live online.

“All four of us have stories of people who have inspired us through the way they battled cancer,” Kyle Braatz says.

For him, it was his grandfather, Frank Moores, a former premier of Newfoundland who lost a battle with cancer last year.

“He was the best storyteller I’ve ever heard,” Braatz says. After his grandfather had died, a St. Andrews College pin mysteriously showed up. No one knew where it would have come from, but Braatz had remembered his grandfather’s stories of the college and knew it was meant for him.

He carries it with him today, on his ride across Canada.

He is inviting all Canadians to go online and read and share stories about cancer.

“The website is huge,” he says, with a blog, a real-time tracker and photos . “It’s a huge part of this.”

To donate to the cause, or to share your own story, visit www.typicallycanadian.com.