Kyla Bennett, director of the New England Civil Service Department for Environmental Responsibility, said studies have shown that the “forever chemicals” can be highly toxic, even at low levels, and can put firefighters at risk.
According to Richard D. McKinnon Jr., president of the Massachusetts Association of Professional Firefighters, cancer is the leading cause of firefighters dying in the line of duty.
“The cost of this equipment pales in comparison to the human cost of inaction,” he said in a release before the vote. “The choice not to properly equip firefighters with PFAS-free protective gear is short-sighted and indefensible.”
Bowes said some Quincy firefighters have been diagnosed with illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease and ALS.
“My biggest worry was that the phone would ring in the middle of the night because the guy was locked in a building or something,” he said. “Right now the phone is ringing and telling me the guy is sick. It’s terrible. It’s terrible for the family.”
Bowes worries that he, too, will get sick after being exposed to so many chemicals over his 26 years as a firefighter.
But Mr Bowes said he had no idea about the dangers of the equipment he was wearing and was happy firefighters would have “the chance to have a healthy career and hopefully the long retirement they deserve.”
In 2019, the fire department purchased 188 sets of equipment that were supposed to be PFAS-free, but after three different tests at three locations, the equipment was found to contain extremely high levels of PFAS, according to city council documents.
“There is one person to blame in all of this: the companies who intentionally lied to us and poisoned us,” the fire department said in a March 18 Facebook post.
City Councilman Dave Jacobs said the city is still paying off the 10-year bond it used to finance the last firefighting equipment.
Jacobs said the City Council proposed Monday to pay for the new equipment with a five-year bond, which could save more than $300,000 in interest payments.
Mayor Thomas Koch said he supports purchasing new protective gear.
“I believe we are leading the country on this issue,” Koch said in an interview. “I think we’re going to see a ripple effect from this decision with committees across the country going through this analysis and taking the right action.”
In August 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed legislation to phase out the use of PFAS in firefighting equipment.
Starting in January, manufacturers and distributors will be prohibited from knowingly selling equipment containing “intentionally added” PFAS chemicals to Massachusetts fire departments.
“I’m really glad it’s finally over,” Bowes said.
“I think cancer is at the forefront of every firefighter’s mind. If they don’t say it, they’re lying,” he says. “But we all took a vow. I don’t think anyone will quit tomorrow. We love what we do. It’s the greatest job in the world.”
Hannah Goeke can be reached at hannah.goeke@globe.com.
