"It is vital to the health of firefighters to properly clean bunker gear following a fire to prevent the transfer of carcinogens, particulates and biohazards," the Kansas state fire marshal said recently in announcing a new cancer-prevention program.

The occasion for that statement was to announce the first awards from a fledgling Kansas grant program, partly aimed at cancer prevention. Some of the $200,000 allocated this year was spent buying heavy-duty washing machines called extractors to clean toxin-laden coats, pants and hoods.

 

"The guidelines on fire equipment now is 10 years after it was manufactured you have to take it out of service, regardless of the condition, so everything has to be replaced in a 10-year cycle," Manning said.

Manning said at a small fire station with a small budget such as the one in Calhoun Falls, grants such as the one from Georgia-Pacific have a significant impact.

"At a small fire station like this -- we've got roughly 25 to 35 firefighter on our roster at any given time -- it's kind of hard to buy that many sets of turnout gear at one time, especially with the financial situation our town is in," Manning said. "They were nice enough to award us with the $5,000 for our turnout gear that is much needed gear for two of my firefighters."

The department used the donation to buy two new sets of modern rescue tools. Hancock had helped fund the department’s first set of hydraulic rescue tools. The department used the tools on hundreds of rescue events over the years.

The Center for Disease Control conducted a study finding that more than 68 percent of firefighters will develop a type of cancer due to their work environment. According to Assistant Chief Boyd Waters, "Once you breathe in so much, it mixes into your blood stream and everything, so it could eventually lead to death. However, at the very least it's going to give you dizziness, headaches and stuff like that."