All SF Firefighters Will Soon Have Equipment Free of Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’

San Francisco’s fire department is set to become the largest in the country to phase out “forever chemicals” in firefighting gear, officials said Thursday.

With cancer surpassing heart disease as the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths for firefighters in recent years, researchers and advocates have increasingly raised alarms about the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in their protective equipment.

These chemicals have known links to certain types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, birth defects and other health problems.

“Firefighting is inherently dangerous, and our personnel deserve access to the most modern, protective, and safest turnout gear available,” San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said in a statement. “Transitioning to PFAS-free equipment is a critical step in advancing our mission: safeguarding the public by ensuring our firefighters remain healthy and able to serve at their highest capacity.”

In May 2024, San Francisco became the first city in the country to ban the use of PFAS in firefighting PPE. The department said it has already received the first shipments of the new gear and expects to receive 1,100 sets, enough for every frontline firefighter, by the end of the month.

The switch comes after years of growing concerns over the use of PFAS to make gear resistant to water and oils. After the deadly Tubbs Fire in 2017, former San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine R. Nicholson said the chemicals were contributing to firefighters “dying with what we call ‘their boots off.’”

A study by the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation and researchers at UC Berkeley found that first responders’ blood contained higher levels of PFAS after that blaze than those not on the front lines.

“Instead of dying in an incident in a fire or a vehicle accident, they’re dying of cancer and other diseases,” Nicholson told KQED at the time.

Efforts to ban PFAS statewide have advanced this year: in October, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1881, introduced by San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, which banned the use of PFAS in firefighting equipment for all California firefighters.

And across the U.S., other departments have begun to make the transition: earlier this year, Providence, Rhode Island, rolled out new gear, and in 2024, Massachusetts passed a ban on the use of PFAS in firefighting PPE, set to take effect in 2027.

There’ve been some setbacks — finding alternatives to a moisture barrier without using PFAS has been a challenge, according to SFFD, and in other cities, some gear purchased to replace the toxic suits has tested positive for the chemicals.

But SFFD said a new flame-resistant, non-PFAS moisture barrier introduced by textile innovator Milliken & Company last October made it possible for the department’s manufacturer, Fire-Dex, to meet all of its requirements to deliver on the new gear.

The equipment was purchased with a $2.35 million FEMA grant and matching funds from SFFD.

“This distribution represents more than new gear,” Crispen said. “A protected workforce is the foundation of a protected community. By investing in the well-being of our firefighters, we strengthen the health, resilience, and safety of San Francisco as a whole.”