The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has announced that they are welcoming further steps from the Canadian Government to control dangerous PFAS chemicals, including new action to address their use in firefighting foams.
At an event at a Montreal firehall coinciding with the release of the State of PFAS Report, Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault announced plans to add PFAS as a full class of toxic chemicals under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), excluding fluoropolymers, which will be addressed separately.
The IAFF has acknowledged how the Canadian Government is also taking steps to control specific uses of PFAS, with short-term measures addressing their use in firefighting foams coming in Phase 1 of a three-part list of key actions to reduce their impact on the environment and the health of Canadians.
The actions respond to key IAFF legislative demands on PFAS, known carcinogens which firefighters are exposed through their use in firefighting foams and turnout gear.
Listing PFAS as a class under applicable federal law allows various forms of PFAS to be regulated broadly as a group instead of molecule by molecule.
The State of PFAS Report garnered more than 400 public comments through its draft stages, including IAFF submissions that emphasized the unique dangers the substances pose to fire fighters.
Minister Guilbeault said: “The government is taking a significant step forward to better protect workers, fire fighters and all Canadians from ‘forever chemicals’.
“These actions position us among the world’s leaders in tackling harmful PFAS exposure.”
Participating in the event alongside the Minister and Montreal-area MP Sherry Romanado, 15th District Vice President Chris Ross commended the federal government for the measures.
Ross added: “These toxins are in everything from airport firefighting foam to the gear that we wear on a daily basis when we go to fires.
“They must be removed, not only for the safety of our members and for the safety of fire fighters across Canada, but for the safety of our communities, and the safety of the family and your children.”
Ross added that existing items containing PFAS “need to be reclaimed and disposed of in a safe way so that we don’t continue to contaminate the environment.”
Romanado welcomed the announcement. She thanked fire fighters for their service to Canadians while noting that Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month was observed in January as proclaimed in Bill C-224, which she introduced in the House of Commons.
Romanado shared: “Our announcement this afternoon recognizes the risks that PFAS pose to fire fighters and reinforces our commitment to reducing exposure to these harmful chemicals.”
As a result of IAFF and Local affiliate advocacy, several Canadian cities including Vancouver, B.C., Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. and St. John’s, Nfld., have begun replacing or have committed to replacing contaminated firefighting coats and pants with a new generation of safe, PFAS-free gear.
Delegates at last year’s Canadian Legislative Conference lobbied the federal government to ban all uses of PFAS, to declare PFAS a full class of chemicals under CEPA and to support the transition to safe alternative firefighting gear including the reclamation and safe disposal of old firefighting wear.
The Canadian Government has announced new actions on PFAS, a decision which has been recognized by the IAFF.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change said the government is taking a significant step forward to better protect workers, firefighters and all Canadians from ‘forever chemicals’.
