'We've lost too many lives': Vancouver firefighters receive first shipment of PFAS-free gear

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services received its first shipment of new firefighting gear on Wednesday, advancing the department's plans to reduce cancer risk for its members.

"It's an exciting day," said Fire Chief Karen Fry at a news conference at VFRS's fire hall 2 in the Downtown Eastside.

"It's a very exciting day. We've lost too many lives."

Cancer is the leading cause of firefighter deaths, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters. Nearly three-quarters of the global union's member deaths in 2023 were due to occupational cancers. In Canada, 94 per cent of member deaths were linked to cancer.

In Vancouver, there have been 34 firefighter deaths related to cancer over the last seven years, according to Fry, who said 10 members of the department are currently battling cancer or in remission.

"Everything that we do every single day puts our firefighters more at risk (for cancer) than the general public," Fry said.

Some of the cancer risks firefighters face – such as smoke inhalation while responding to fires – are out of the department's control, but the composition of the gear they use is not.

Traditional bunker gear contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS, a family of chemicals that has been linked to cancer and other diseases.

In April, Vancouver city councillors approved $2.8 million to support the acquisition of new, PFAS-free gear for VFRS members.

Fry said the first 137 sets of that gear were delivered this week, and the city says it expects to have a total of 443 delivered by the end of the year.

The fire chief estimated that the entire department would be outfitted with the new gear by "the end of the first quarter" next year.

Officials at Wednesday's news conference said they believe Vancouver will be the first jurisdiction in North America to complete the transition to PFAS-free gear.

"I'm super proud that Vancouver's a leader," Fry said. "We're a leader not only in this city, we're a leader in the province and a leader in North America."