FIREFIGHTERS IN THE San Francisco Fire Department have fully transitioned to wearing gear free from PFAS, which are chemicals that pose potential health risks to humans.
“The fire department is officially PFAS-free,” Mayor Daniel Lurie announced in a briefing Thursday. “This step places San Francisco at the forefront of firefighter safety.”
The transition makes SFFD the largest fire department in the country to make the switch to PFAS-free gear.
Until recently, the moisture barrier fabric layer in turnout gear for firefighters has contained PFAS chemicals. PFAS stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are synthetic chemicals found in a variety of household products. Turnout gear is what firefighters wear to protect themselves from extreme heat and fires and has fire-resistant materials.
“PFAS, the so-called ‘forever chemical,’ has been woven into that turnout gear, leaching into our bodies,” said Stephen Gilman, the International Association of Fire Fighters 10th District union vice president, in a speech.
Exposure to PFAS has been associated with health concerns such as cancer, fertility issues, and increased cholesterol, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“Some of the very gear designed to protect us was quietly harming us,” said Fire Chief Dean Crispen in a speech.
The profession of firefighting has been categorized as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an intergovernmental agency of the World Health Organization that conducts cancer research.
Since 2006, about 400 firefighters from SFFD have died from cancer, according to the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation.
“The cost of inaction is measured in funerals,” Gilman said. “The reward of action is measured in lives saved.”
In 2024, the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to ban PFAS-containing materials for SFFD’s turnout gear. SFFD was given until June 30, 2026, to fully implement the switch.
In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that bans PFAS chemicals in uniforms and turnout gear for firefighters statewide. State Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, wrote the bill.
“The cost of inaction is measured in funerals. The reward of action is measured in lives saved.”
Stephen Gilman, International Association of Fire Fighters
“Nobody who goes out there every single day to protect us, to keep us safe, should be forced to wear gear that we know causes cancer,” Haney said in a speech at Thursday’s briefing. “There are absolutely alternatives that can keep firefighters safe.”
The gear was purchased in part through a $2.35 million Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and matching funds from the city.
SFFD worked with textile manufacturer Milliken & Company and gear manufacturer Fire-Dex to create the new turnout gear.
Lurie and dozens of firefighters showed off the new uniforms.
“This is how we honor both our veteran members and the new generation of firefighters who deserve to begin their careers with the safest gear possible,” Crispen said.
