The San Francisco Fire Department will soon be fully equipped with new gear made free from chemicals known to cause cancer, making the city the largest in the country to reach such a milestone.
Standing in front of dozens of SFFD recruits sporting the new yellow-striped uniforms, Mayor Daniel Lurie and Fire Chief Dean Crispen celebrated the achievement as the result of a collaborative, years-long push for safer equipment and better health outcomes for firefighters.
“Our firefighters give this city their best, and we owe them nothing less in return,” Lurie said.
For decades, firefighters unknowingly wore water-resistant protective gear filled with PFAS chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals,” which leached into their bodies over time and contributed to higher rates of cancer compared to the general population…