KEENE, NH – Firefighters with the Boston Fire Department are raising concerns over exposure to toxic, cancer causing chemicals, an issue that’s been on the minds of fire officials in Swanzey as well.

According to the Associated Press, firefighters are concerned that gear laced with PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of toxic industrial compounds, could be one reason for cancer among their ranks.

The issue came to a head in Boston after a 30-year-old firefighter who had been with the department for less than a decade was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in October of 2020, and learned that himself and others wore gear that contained the toxic industrial compound PFAS.

Locally, Swanzey Fire Chief Bill Gould tells WKBK that PFAS within their PPE is a concern, and he doesn’t believe there is any PFAS free structural gear available at this point.

“Between the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and the manufacturers, I would hope there will be a safer alternative coming in the near future,” Gould said. “PFAS has been in many manufactured household items other than fire foam and PPE for years now.”

Gould also said the efficacy of their protective hoods is an issue as well.

“One concern is that our protective hoods are allowing the particles of products of combustion (smoke and soot), which are considered carcinogens, to penetrate the material and be absorbed through the skin,” he said. “When the firefighter begins to sweat, the skin pores open up and exposure is more likely.”

The firefighters of the Swanzey Fire Department are also careful about what potentially harmful contaminants are being brought into the station when they return from a call, which is part of the reason why the town wants to build a new fire station.

In past town elections, a warrant has appeared on the ballot asking voters to approve a bond for the project that would see a new fire station built on Old Homestead Highway. Each time it has failed to meet the three-fifths super majority of votes needed to pass.

Plans for the new station included measures that would allow the department to better eliminate cross contamination when responders are returning from an event where they may have been exposed to potential contaminants, such as a building or vehicle fire.

“Areas of the building will allow the gear and members to decontaminate prior to entering a completely clean zone. The gear would be laundered in this “warm area” as well,” Gould said.

Among other issues with the current fire stations in Swanzey, Gould says space is limited and doesn’t allow for such measures to be taken. Current practice is to brush or rinse debris off the exposed turnout gear at the scene, then return to the station for a shower and a change of clothes.

The warrant for the new station at 321 Old Homestead Highway, which would have replaced Station #2 in the basement of the town hall, appeared on the ballot five years in a row, the last time being in 2022. The future of that proposal remains unclear.