Austin City Council votes to phase out firefighting gear containing dangerous chemicals

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Council has voted to phase out harmful chemicals found in firefighting gear.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals that are found in a lot of products, including firefighter gear and firefighting foam. The chemicals have been linked to health problems like cancer.

On Thursday, Austin City Council unanimously passed a resolution directing the city manager to come up with a plan to phase out fire equipment with PFAS in it. 

"The care and concern of our firefighters and their health and welfare is paramount to us," Rob Vires, chief of staff for the Austin Fire Department said.

"As a volunteer firefighter myself, I know the danger that these individuals take every day when they are fighting fires in homes and eliminating cancer-causing agents from their gear will help ensure their life safety moving forward," District 6 Council Member Mackenzie Kelly said. 

While AFD has taken steps to make sure gear doesn't directly touch firefighters' skin, they're looking at newer, alternative materials that are PFAS-free.

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"We're currently doing a lot of research of the products that are coming out there. Once we find a few different products that we feel comfortable with, there will be some trial tests and some other measures to make sure that what we're getting is actually providing the protection necessary for the firefighters to do the fantastic job they do every day," Vires said.

Other cities and states, like Massachusetts, have banned PFAS in gear.

The International Association of FireFighters has called for the removal of PFAS in gear because of health risks. 

Last week, the water supply in Grand Prairie, Texas, was contaminated when firefighting foam got into it. Residents couldn't use their tap water. 

In Austin, phasing out PFAS could take several years. There are over 1,100 firefighters and reserve gear as well.

"It's a sizable amount of items that we'll need to replace over the course of time," Vires said.

AFD is also switching out the firefighting foam at the airport.

"We've gone through a process to identify the correct new item. Then the other part of it was the cleanup, how to clean out the storage tanks, not only on the apparatus, but also where it's stored there on the airport grounds as well," Vires said.

The resolution also calls for safe disposal of current gear and baseline testing to determine current PFAS levels in firefighters.

The city manager is expected to have annual updates on how the phase out process is going. Funding for new gear will also be part of the plan.