Being a woman in fire and safety has come with some challenges and barriers over the years, however It’s made me who I am today.
These experiences made me resilient, determined, fearless, disciplined and adaptable.
I remember walking into the fire station my first day with a big smile on my face thinking that I had won the lottery!
I thought to myself, I get to do this job and get paid?
I was a firefighter and later in my career achieved the position of fire captain.
I spent a total of 30 years in the fire service and never looked back.
I retired from active firefighting and started a new job with Transport Canada as the Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) expert for Canada.
My current work involves conducting regulatory inspections of airport fire services and writing and amending the Canadian Aviation Regulations and Standards (CARs).
My favorite saying by Mark Twain is “the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.”
Leah Kosolofski
Years later, I now know my why.
In January of 2020 I was diagnosed with stage 1 bkadder cancer, a firefighter occupational cancer.
I feel very blessed to say I just passed my 6-year milestone of being cancer free.
I am a huge advocate for educating firefighters about firefighter cancer and the legislation that protects us.
I spend my free time attending fire conferences and individual fire departments presenting on firefighter cancer and presumptive legislation.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed firefighting as a Group 1 carcinogenic to humans.
Meaning occupational exposure as a firefighter causes cancer.
Female firefighters face a significantly higher risk of developing cancer particularly, breast, bladder, cervical, ovarian and uterine cancers.
There are shortcomings when we look at firefighter cancer research because female firefighters make up such a small cohort.
Female firefighters are under-represented in most research, the good news is this is changing.
Research is now prioritizing the female firefighter demographic in cancer research, but there is still work to do in this demographic.
Some countries don’t recognize any cancers in females while others have limited coverage.
Presumptive cancers are those that are presumed to be work related.
Not all countries have firefighter presumptive cancer legislation in place.
Here in Canada, we are leading the charge in this area.
Canada has the highest coverage rate which includes 19 cancers that are covered by the Workers Compensation Act.
Leah Kosolofski
The amount of cancer specific coverage is dependent on what province you live in.
This is a gap that has been identified and hopefully all provinces will have equal coverage one day.
Female firefighters are currently covered for breast, ovarian and cervical cancer.
Of course there is still more work to do.
Breast cancer was the first female firefighter cancer covered by the Workers Compensation Act.
Through the work done by lobbying groups, unions and firefighters with lived experience, female firefighters currently have three cancers covered.
Prevention and education are the simplest ways to limit cancer in the fire service.
Chemicals and toxins can enter the body through routes of inhalation of combustion products, ingestion and dermal absorption.
Firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk from dying of cancer compared to the general population.
Cancer is the leading cause of death amongst firefighters.
So how do we prevent or limit exposures especially in the female firefighter cohort?
This includes coat, pants, gloves and boots.
Women have different body shapes and sizes and a one size fits all is not sufficient.
When I started in the fire service, there were only four sizes of men’s gear available.
Even with alterations it was ill-fitting for women’s bodies and put women at a high rate of exposure to toxins.
Leah Kosolofski
We need to replace ill-fitting legacy gear.
Manufacturers are changing the way gear is made and there are options available for women now.
Use wet wipes to clean your neck, jawline, throat, hands and underarms.
Brush and rinse your gear with soap and water to remove contaminates.
Remove your gear, bag it and place it in an outside compartment of the truck.
This is called the clean-cab concept.
Don’t carry gear in your personal vehicle or store at home.
Gear cleaning following NFPA 1851, have a second set of gear, second balaclava, shower within an hour of getting back, wash your station wear and your fire gear separately.
Wash your fire gear outer shell separate from your inner shell.
Do not cross contaminate.
Keep gear out of the sleeping, eating and lounge areas of the station.
Helmet liners are often forgotten but must be included in the gear washing.
Advise your doctor that you are a firefighter and are at a higher risk of developing cancer.
Firefighters should be screened and have diagnostics completed on a regular basis.
We know our bodies best and we know when something is off.
Leah Kosolofski
If you have pain, discomfort, or notice something is off for more than 2 weeks, get it checked out!
Hopefully it turns out to be nothing, but if it does turn out to be cancer, then it was caught early.
Catching cancer in the early stages increases your chance of survival tenfold.
Suggested screening for women, lungs, skin, breast, cervical, uterine, colorectal, bladder and thyroid.
Documentation is key if you’re seeking worker compensation coverage.
Document all your incidents and your exposures with dates and times and what your operational role was. There are many apps also available.
I’m going to leave you with a quote from Maya Angelou. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
We now know better!
