The fire is out. The crew is back at the station. The next call could come at any time.
But what happens to the gear after an incident is an important part of firefighter safety. Protective clothing can carry soot, combustion byproducts, and other potentially hazardous substances away from the fireground. Appropriate handling and cleaning help departments manage that contamination instead of treating it as someone else’s problem once the emergency ends.
That matters in the larger conversation about firefighter cancer.
Research has documented elevated cancer rates in firefighter populations, and researchers continue to investigate occupational exposures and their effects on health. Cleaning contaminated gear is one practical part of managing exposure. It is not a guarantee against cancer, and no single cleaning method addresses every hazard firefighters encounter.
For fire chiefs, health and safety officers, and personal protective equipment (PPE) officers, the goal is to build a consistent approach to gear care that reflects the evidence, follows applicable requirements, and accounts for the department’s actual needs.
What does clean gear have to do with firefighter cancer prevention?
Firefighters can encounter hazardous substances through multiple occupational exposure pathways. Depending on the incident, these may include smoke, particulate matter, and chemicals produced by burning materials.
Protective gear can become contaminated during that work. Some substances may remain on the equipment after the incident, while handling and transportation can create opportunities for contamination to spread to skin, vehicles, and station areas.
Cleaning and decontamination procedures are intended to manage that contamination.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published guidance on contaminated firefighter gear that addresses appropriate handling, bagging, laundering, and storage as parts of reducing exposure opportunities after an incident.
These practices matter because the end of the emergency does not necessarily mark the end of exposure-related responsibilities.
However, reducing contamination on equipment is not the same as proving that a particular procedure prevents cancer. The appropriate claim is that gear care is one component of occupational exposure management.
What does the cancer research tell us?
A NIOSH study of nearly 30,000 career firefighters from Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco found 9% more cancer diagnoses and 14% more cancer-related deaths than expected based on U.S. population rates.
The findings provide important evidence of occupational cancer concerns in the study population. They do not establish that every firefighter has the same risk or that any single exposure source explains the results.
Firefighters encounter different substances, work under different conditions, and have different occupational histories. Cancer risk can involve multiple exposures and other factors.
The practical lesson is not that one intervention can solve the problem. It is that departments should take occupational health seriously and address the parts of exposure management they can reasonably influence.
Gear care is one of those parts.
How contamination can follow firefighters home
Contaminated PPE can create opportunities for exposure beyond the immediate incident.
Handling and removal
Removing protective clothing can bring firefighters into contact with contaminated surfaces. Departments should train personnel to follow established procedures that minimize unnecessary contact and prevent contamination from spreading.
Transportation
Gear transported in passenger compartments or personal vehicles can transfer contamination to surfaces used by firefighters and their families. Appropriate containment and transportation procedures help manage that possibility.
Storage and laundering
Contaminated equipment should be handled and stored according to department procedures. Cleaning arrangements should avoid unnecessarily introducing contamination into living spaces or other areas where people spend extended periods.
These steps are practical exposure-management measures. Their purpose is to reduce opportunities for contamination to spread, not to claim that every contact causes harm or that following a particular procedure eliminates all risk.
What should departments include in a clean-gear program?
A useful PPE-care program does more than set a washing schedule. It establishes clear responsibilities from the moment contaminated gear comes off until the equipment is cleaned, inspected as required, and returned to service.
1. Establish post-incident procedures
Firefighters should know what to do with gear after an incident, including when initial decontamination is appropriate, how to remove and transport equipment, and where contaminated items should be stored.
Procedures should be practical enough to follow consistently, including during busy shifts and back-to-back calls.
2. Follow applicable cleaning requirements
Use the applicable National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, manufacturer instructions, and department procedures to determine the appropriate cleaning and maintenance process.
Routine washing remains essential. The schedule should also account for incident-related contamination rather than relying only on a fixed calendar.
3. Maintain cleaning and inspection records
Track cleaning dates, service methods, inspection findings, repairs, and other required maintenance.
These records help PPE officers identify missed service, understand equipment history, and demonstrate that the department is following its procedures.
4. Evaluate the evidence for additional cleaning methods
Conventional washing can remove soil and reduce contamination, but its performance varies by substance, garment, and process. Some contaminants may be difficult to remove completely through a particular method.
Advanced decontamination, including liquid carbon dioxide (CO₂) processes, offers another option to evaluate. Departments should look for testing specific to the contaminants and equipment involved, and they should verify that the proposed process is appropriate under applicable requirements.
The goal is not to replace every existing procedure with a new technology. It is to understand what the department’s current process accomplishes and where additional treatment may be appropriate.
What about PFAS in firefighter gear?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of synthetic chemicals used in a variety of industrial and consumer applications.
Research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has identified PFAS in structural firefighter turnout gear textiles, gloves, hoods, and wildland firefighting textiles.
These findings matter because some potential exposure sources may come from the materials used to make protective equipment, not just contamination deposited during a fire.
But an important distinction remains: identifying PFAS in a textile does not establish the health risk attributable specifically to those chemicals in a particular garment. Researchers continue to investigate the relationship between PFAS in protective equipment, potential exposure, and health.
Departments should follow credible research and evaluate cleaning claims carefully. A process that demonstrates removal of certain PFAS under specified conditions should not be assumed to remove every PFAS compound or eliminate associated health risks.
Can advanced decontamination prevent firefighter cancer?
No cleaning or decontamination process should be represented as a guarantee against cancer.
Advanced decontamination may reduce particular contaminants on protective equipment, depending on the system, process, and substances tested. That is a measurable outcome worth evaluating.
Cancer prevention is a different claim. Establishing that a particular cleaning method prevents cancer would require evidence supporting that health outcome, not simply a laboratory measurement showing that certain contaminants were reduced.
Firefighter occupational health involves multiple hazards and exposure pathways. PPE care should be part of a broader approach to reducing exposure, alongside other applicable safety practices.
This distinction does not make cleaning less important. It makes the case for cleaning more accurate: departments can take practical steps to manage contamination without promising a health outcome the evidence does not establish.
The access problem: when cost gets in the way
For some departments, the challenge is not recognizing the importance of gear care. It is finding the resources to provide the services they believe their personnel need.
Advanced decontamination can involve service fees, transportation, and coordination. Those expenses may be difficult to accommodate alongside equipment replacement, training, staffing, and other operational priorities.
Smaller, rural, volunteer, and combination departments can face different financial and logistical circumstances from larger agencies. Their needs should be evaluated individually rather than assumed from department type alone.
The Afterburn Foundation helps qualifying fire departments access advanced PPE decontamination when cost stands in the way.
Afterburn is an access and funding organization, not a manufacturer or cleaning facility. It connects documented department need with philanthropic funding and qualified independent service providers.
Its annual sponsorship model is built around a straightforward commitment:
$500. One firefighter. One year.
A $500 sponsorship provides one firefighter with one year of funded access to qualifying advanced PPE decontamination services. The standard annual model is designed around two advanced CO₂ decontamination cycles and one annual advanced inspection, with flexibility to fund services according to actual need.
Sponsorship funds are pooled, allowing services to vary according to equipment, exposure, geography, and logistics. The model funds access to qualifying services; it does not promise that every firefighter receives identical services or that decontamination prevents cancer.
For departments that want to evaluate advanced decontamination but face a financial barrier, Afterburn offers a way to seek assistance.
Frequently asked questions
Does cleaning firefighter gear help prevent cancer?
Cleaning helps remove soil and reduce contamination on protective equipment, making it one component of occupational exposure management. However, evidence of contaminant reduction does not establish that a particular cleaning method prevents cancer.
How often should firefighter gear be cleaned?
Departments should follow applicable NFPA requirements, manufacturer instructions, and written procedures. Cleaning should also address incident-related contamination rather than depend solely on a fixed calendar.
Can contaminated turnout gear expose firefighters after a fire?
Contaminated gear can create opportunities for continued exposure or transfer to skin, vehicles, and station areas. Appropriate handling, transportation, cleaning, and storage procedures help manage these pathways.
Does advanced CO₂ decontamination eliminate cancer risk?
No. A CO₂ process may reduce specific contaminants under tested conditions, but that does not establish that it eliminates occupational exposure or prevents cancer.
Can Afterburn help pay for advanced decontamination?
Yes. The Afterburn Foundation helps qualifying fire departments access advanced PPE decontamination when cost stands in the way. Departments can apply for funding to have their needs evaluated.
Better decontamination shouldn’t depend on your department’s budget.
Afterburn helps qualifying fire departments access advanced PPE decontamination when cost stands in the way.
Help another department get access: Sponsor a Firefighter
