Delegates at the IAFF 55th Convention voted overwhelmingly in favor of resolutions to protect members from toxic substances in personal protective equipment (PPE) and to end sponsorships from manufacturers that use these substances.
Our San Francisco delegation, including Board Director, Adam Wood, spoke in favor and acknowledged fellow Director, Matt Alba as one of the driving forces behind our local PFAS research. SFFCPF has recently designed and approved funding of a bio-monitoring study with Stanford to test 4 PPE vendors’ PFAS-free prototypes.
Resolution 28
Resolution 28 calls on the IAFF to no longer accept sponsorships from the chemical industry, textile manufacturers or PPE manufacturers that use toxic chemicals in PPE; recommends an end to the practice of repurposing used or expired PPE; and calls on the IAFF to publish information on PFAS based on research by independent scientists with no connections to the PPE industry.
Click here to read the full Resolution 28 text.
Resolution 31
Resolution 31 calls on the IAFF to actively oppose the use of PFAS in turnout gear and to seek independent testing of PPE currently available to determine levels of PFAS and the ability of the chemicals to penetrate skin; calls on the IAFF to seek cooperation with manufacturers to immediately cease the use of PPE containing PFAS; and urges the IAFF to apply for a federal grant to study the negative health effects of PFAS in PPE.