Provincial grant to improve firefighter health and safety in Sudbury

Sudbury receives a $300K provincial grant for new decontamination equipment to clean firefighting gear, a key step in reducing firefighters' high cancer risks.

Greater Sudbury Fire Services has received provincial funding to improve firefighter safety.

The money will be used to purchase and install specialized decontamination technology to enhance cancer prevention measures.

Fire chief Rob Grimwood has spent more than 30 years as a firefighter and a paramedic and has served in several leadership roles.

In that time, Grimwood said he has been a staunch advocate for firefighter health and safety.

“A lot of people think about the dangers of being a firefighter and they think about fires and explosions,” he said.

“The reality is the single biggest danger to a firefighter is their increased risk of occupational cancer.”

Grimwood said firefighters have a 14 per cent higher chance of dying from cancer than the public.

Regularly exposed to toxins

“It’s because of the inhalation of toxic carcinogens that we encounter during our work extinguishing fires,” he said.

“The products of combustion and the smoke caused by that are a toxic soup of chemicals that traditionally have absorbed through fire department personal protective equipment.”

The grant will cover the purchase and installation of specialized decontamination technology, including new bunker gear washing and drying units.

“The fire workers that we have play a pivotal role in our community and their health and safety is top of mind,” said Mayor Paul Lefebvre.

“With the support from the province, we are able to do this -- we are very grateful.”

“Most importantly, we use it to purchase specialized washing equipment so that our breathing apparatuses are thoroughly washed and decontaminated after fires,” said Grimwood.

He said he has a very personal connection to this occupational hazard.

“My own father, who was a firefighter, died … due to occupational cancer. So, it is certainly really close to my heart,” said Grimwood.

The provincial grant will cover the cost of the new decontamination equipment, which is just more than $300,000.

The hope is to have the new equipment installed by the spring.