Firefighters against cancer

Cancer is one of the most dangerous threats to the health and safety of the 58 thousand volunteer firefighters in Argentina. That is why from the Foundation we work with the aim of generating awareness and changes in daily practices in pursuit of their welfare, so that they can perform their activity safely.

We are convinced that intensifying the messages, educating and generating knowledge for the apprehension of good practices will be the key to improve the prevention of emergency professionals.

The general objective of Firefighters Against Cancer is to develop a culture of prevention and health care in relation to the exposure of firefighters to carcinogens or pollutants in disasters, through the incorporation of healthy habits and routines as well as the knowledge of potential risks and precautions to be taken.

The specific objective is to provide tools for the cleaning, care and continuous improvement of personal protection elements, as well as to emphasize the importance of regular medical check-ups.

In the last months, we started to work on the research of the topics to work on during the year:

• Daily habits of firefighters.
• Care and prevention tips to be later transformed into regulations.
• Awareness of the danger of not having a protocol for handling protective clothing.
• Protocols for inspection, maintenance and washing of personal protective equipment.
• Routines for handling protective elements, from the beginning of an incident until it ends.
• Creation and/or modification of existing training on how all protective elements, including personal protective equipment, should be handled. Empowering the role of managers in setting an example for these changes in habits.