I had never heard about fire increasing cancer risk until I started dealing with MEIKO. We hear very little about it in Tyrol. But now I know how important it is to separate the clean and dirty areas of the SCBA workshop and to properly disinfect the respiratory protective equipment.
There's a lot still to be done in the equipment rooms. Often, the clean and dirty sides are not separated because there isn't enough space. We try to protect ourselves as well as we can. None of us wants to get cancer down the line.
Cross-contamination has been on my mind since joining the fire service. I think a lot of it is influenced by management. If they lead by example in separating clean and dirty areas, nobody questions it.
