Waterloo Region Record

When most of us think of the dangers firefighters face, we think of leaping flames or buildings that collapse from structural damage caused by fires. Indeed, the death of two volunteer firefighters in Listowel last month provides more than enough evidence to show how dangerous a collapsing building can be.

But the dangers firefighters face may also be invisible. Sadly, the recent death of Kitchener firefighter Bill Duncan offers that evidence.

Duncan died of brain cancer that was caused by fighting fires during his 33-year career. As a former president of the Kitchener firefighters association, Duncan understood just how toxic a fire scene could be. He had argued vigorously for compensation for the 10 Kitchener firefighters who had died from occupationally caused cancers since 1988.

Seven of those firefighters had helped to extinguish a major fire in 1987 at Horticultural Technologies. That fire spewed more than 200 chemicals into the air around the Horticultural Technologies building - air that firefighters breathed.

To its credit, the provincial legislature in 2007 permitted firefighters to more easily qualify for compensation for illnesses such as cancer and heart attacks. Duncan, in fact, qualified for this compensation.

In an interview last year when he knew that his cancer was terminal, Duncan pointed out that firefighters may suffer from being constantly exposed to toxic particles. The toxic chemicals that enter the body on any single occasion may not be fatal; the problem is that they accumulate over time. They are silent killers.

Duncan's observation is one that young firefighters in particular should note. What it means is that they should make sure they wear their protective equipment whenever they are near a potentially hazardous fire scene, even if the blaze has been extinguished.

Interestingly, Duncan pointed out that when he joined the fire department in 1977 he was not even given any breathing apparatus. Obviously, and thankfully, firefighters are better equipped today than they were in the past. This equipment should help firefighters to live lives that are not shortened by their occupation.

A firefighter who suffered Duncan's fate could understandably have expressed regret about becoming a firefighter. Duncan, however, had no such regret. He loved his profession. He did, however, hope that his illness would help firefighters to become more aware of the long-term risks they face.

There should be little doubt that by discussing his illness publicly Bill Duncan accomplished this goal.

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April 5, 2011