Governor signs bills to protect firefighters, first responders
Mar 28, 2018, 11:27 AM | Updated: 2:53 pm
Washington state became the first in the country to ban the sale of firefighting foams containing chemicals known to be a health hazard. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill Tuesday that will make Washington state the first in the country to ban the sale of firefighting foams containing chemicals known to be a health hazard.
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Senate Bill 6413 bans the sale, manufacturing, and distribution of foams where PFAS have been intentionally added starting in 2020.
The bill also prohibits the use of those foams in training. It requires manufacturers that sell firefighter protective gear to notify buyers if the equipment contains the chemicals.
Michael White from the Washington Council of Firefighters says this is a big win for firefighters.
“We think that there is going to be a reduction in firefighter cancer or, at least, on the prevention side, minimizing the exposure to firefighters with these chemicals. That doesn’t mean that these chemicals aren’t going to be in Washington state completely. They’re still going to be carried where they’re federally mandated, so airports, military bases.”
White says the foams are used on flammable liquids such as gasoline and diesel. The chemicals in them pose a danger to firefighters that’s been seen here locally.
“Ultimately, we can’t 100 percent tie in a chemical to a specific cancer, but these exposures are happening. Take, for instance, the Port of Seattle Fire Department, which protects SeaTac Airport. They have had three unique types of cancer within their fire station. That just doesn’t happen; to have three unique types of cancer within a very small population…”
White says the chemicals are a risk to the public because the chemical can seep into the soil and water supply.
“Airway Heights next to Fairchild Air Force Base has had water contamination. I believe that they have shut their water system completely off and they’re buying water from Spokane. Whidbey Island with the Naval Air Station out there has seen contamination. Some of the property owners have their wells shut down, they can’t use their wells for any purposes. And there’s been some issues out in Issaquah with training use of these chemicals.”
White would like to see more restrictions on foams with PFAS, but calls this a good start for Washington.
“Washington state’s the first state in the nation to do something like this. We may have to go back and re-tool it, maybe we have to go back and make it stronger. We’d like to see federal action taking place on this in the places, like the airports and the military bases where this product is mandated to be in place. When you look at other airports internationally, they’re not mandated to have this chemical in place and they’re still offering adequate fire protection.”
Another bill (SB 6214) signed by the governor last week requires workers comp to cover PTSD for firefighters, police, and other first responders. This is a big change to state law, which in general doesn’t allow workers comp claims for psychological injury unless there was also a physical injury. The bill also creates a presumption that PTSD is the result of what firefighters experienced on the job. Firefighters and police would have to have at least 10 years’ experience and agree to a psychological exam to qualify, which could be challenged with evidence their PTSD is the result of something they experienced outside of work.
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White was among those who testified at a House committee about the need for the coverage.
“I’m OK, but a lot of my brothers and sisters that I ride the fire engine with are not OK. And what we’re talking about here is repeated exposure trauma. It’s this consistent exposure to bad situations when you are seeing people on their worst day … and we’re seeing those people on their worst day every single day that we’re at work. And when we look at how we’re getting PTSD it is from these repeated exposures.”
Bud Sizemore with the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs says the same is true for police.
“Police officers are rife for exposure to multiple, really crummy scenes that they can’t un-see. Militaries recognize this and military members are only in theater for 12 to 18 months. A firefighter or a police officer has a 25- or 30-year career that is in theater all the time.”
He also pointed out that more police died by suicide than gunfire and traffic crashes in 2016.
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