Preventing firefighter cancer with cleaner gear.
Firefighters carry hazardous contamination in their protective gear long after an emergency ends. Traditional water washing leaves most of it behind. Advanced decontamination with liquid CO2 removes the majority of those contaminants, but access isn't equal: too many departments can't afford it. Afterburn helps close that gap.
SPONSOR A FIREFIGHTER
THE STAKES
Cancer Has Become Part of the Job. It Shouldn't Be Accepted as Inevitable.
A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study of nearly 30,000 career firefighters found 9% more cancer diagnoses and 14% more cancer-related deaths than expected based on U.S. population rates.
At the 2025 International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, 247 of the 311 members honored died from occupational cancer.
Firefighter cancer has many causes. No single intervention eliminates that risk.
But reducing avoidable exposure is something we can act on now.
14%
More cancer-related deaths than expected among nearly 30,000 career firefighters.
NIOSH · CHICAGO, PHILADELPHIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 1950–2009
9%
More cancer diagnoses than expected in the same cohort.
NIOSH
247/311
Members honored at the 2025 IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial who died from occupational cancer.
IAFF · 2026 CANCER AWARENESS MONTH BRIEF
AFTER THE FIRE
Some of the Danger Comes Home With Them.
Firefighters encounter combustion products, chemicals, particulates and other contaminants on every kind of call.
Protective gear does its job during the emergency. But contamination can remain on and within that equipment afterward, and it rides back in the cab, hangs in the station and goes on again for the next call.
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01 · INCIDENT
The Call
Smoke, soot, chemicals and particulates reach the gear during firefighting and overhaul.
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02 · CONTAMINATED GEAR
The Gear Holds It
Residue settles on and into the layers of the protective equipment after the fire is out.
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03 · CONTINUED EXPOSURE
The Exposure Continues
In the cab, at the station and on the next call, until the gear is properly decontaminated.
Clean and Decontaminated Are Not Always the Same Thing.
Learn About Advanced DecontaminationTHE ACCESS GAP
The Technology Exists. Access Doesn't Exist Equally.
Budget
Advanced CO2 decontamination costs substantially more than conventional water washing — and departments operate with widely different financial resources.
Geography
Specialized decontamination services aren't available in every community, and distance adds time and logistics.
Department Resources
Larger departments can typically afford the service or build it into their budgets as awareness grows, and providers already work directly with departments that can pay. Budget-constrained, volunteer, and rural departments usually can't access it at all.
A firefighter's access to better decontamination shouldn't depend entirely on their department's ZIP code or budget.
HOW IT WORKS
That's Where Afterburn Comes In.
Afterburn raises philanthropic funding and directs it toward qualifying fire departments that need help accessing advanced decontamination for firefighters' personal protective equipment (PPE).
Qualified independent providers perform the service. Afterburn funds access.
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STEP 01
Department Applies
We document the department's needs, current resources and the financial barriers keeping firefighters from access.
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STEP 02
Firefighters Qualify
Eligible firefighters are entered into Afterburn's internal funding system, ready to be sponsored.
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STEP 03
Donors Sponsor Access
Individuals, businesses and foundations fund the program, one firefighter-year at a time.
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STEP 04
Providers Deliver Service
Approved independent providers perform the decontamination and inspection work.
THE SPONSORSHIP
$500.One Firefighter.One Year.
A $500 sponsorship gives one firefighter one year of advanced decontamination access.
EACH SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES
- 2Advanced Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Decontamination CyclesLiquid CO2 cleaning by a qualified independent provider
- 1Annual Advanced InspectionSeams, barriers and components checked for damage and wear
- +Full-PPE and Heavy DecontaminationWhen an incident calls for more than the scheduled cycles
- →Shipping, Logistics and Program DeliveryMoving gear to and from the provider, covered in the $500
Firefighters don't all have identical needs. Funding flexes to each firefighter's actual exposure and equipment.
SCALE
The Need Is Big. Our First Goal Is Specific.
1,058,800
Active firefighters in the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) National Fire Department Registry
USFA REGISTRY
69,096
Active firefighters across California and Oregon registry data
USFA REGISTRY · CA + OR
2,000
Firefighters: Afterburn's Year One sponsorship goal
AFTERBURN · YEAR ONE
$1M
Required to fund them: 2,000 firefighters at $500 each
AFTERBURN · YEAR ONE
2,000 firefighters is about 3.6% of the roughly 56,053 firefighters serving in local California and Oregon departments and districts.
IMPACT
Our First Cohort
—
Departments Participating
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Firefighters Qualified
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Sponsorship Funding Secured
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Firefighters Sponsored
Real numbers appear here as the program grows. No estimates, no projections.
Sponsor This CohortRESEARCH
Built on Evidence. Designed for Action.
Afterburn's educational content and program decisions are grounded in recognized firefighter-health research, personal protective equipment care standards, independent testing and real program data.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
NIOSH
Cancer incidence and mortality research across nearly 30,000 career firefighters, and the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer.
U.S. FIRE ADMINISTRATION
USFA
National Fire Department Registry data on the size and makeup of the fire service.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY
NIST
Independent testing that measured per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in turnout gear textiles.
NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION
NFPA
NFPA 1850, the standard for care and maintenance of protective ensembles, including advanced cleaning and inspection.
OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS
Businesses standing with firefighters
WANT TO HELP?
Sponsor a Firefighter
$500 provides one firefighter with a year of advanced decontamination access.
NEED HELP FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT?
Apply for Funding
If cost is limiting your department's access, Afterburn may be able to help.