The 40 members of the Laguna Beach (CA) Fire Department focused on exposure risk reduction and actions to prevent occupational cancer during the 2019 Safety Stand Down. They reviewed the best practices for occupational cancer prevention and took specific steps to improve the safety of their members. This included the following:
- Wipes placed on all apparatus for firefighters to use post-fire.
- Added 6 mil trash bags to apparatus to bag up contaminated PPE and equipment when carrying them back to the station.
- Sent out all PPE to their vendor to be properly laundered.
- Emphasized the need for all personnel to “shower within the hour” after responding to a fire scene.
- A second phase of the initiative will begin shortly that includes improving gross decon practices.
All members of the department were also assigned videos and documents to review during the week that were taken from the Safety Stand Down web site.
To increase their cancer prevention efforts throughout the year, the department will utilize training bulletins as well as focus on awareness, actions, and accountability. They are also assisting neighboring agencies in developing operational policies to reduce cancer and exposure risks.