A couple of days ago I saw a post on a local neighborhood app basically saying “Soooo, what does this mean” with a screenshot of the notice below.
For those out of town, this week our firefighters battled a fire at a scrap metal yard for hours. Smoke filled the area over a large part of downtown, and residents were warned to limit their exposure to toxins that could be in the air from the fire.
So back to the question…What does this mean…here’s what it means to me:
It means a huge group of firefighters and first responders were exposed to toxins from this industrial fire incident.
It means that group of responders will need to make sure they take steps to decontaminate their gear, clothing, skin to limit health risks.
It means that even with those decontamination procedures in place, those procedures only decrease a small amount of their exposure and they are still at significant risk for future health risks like cancer.
It means that this notification gives the general public a small glimpse of what these first responders encounter daily. It may not be an industrial fire every day. It could be a car fire, a wreck, a chemical spill, a medical response.
If you received this notification this week, please consider reaching out to Mayor Tim Kelly’s office to thank him for his support of Chattanooga Fire Department efforts to improve exposure training and protocols…but go one step further.
Chattanooga needs to do better to provide presumptive illness coverage for an expanded list of cancers for our firefighters. The Chattanooga Fire Fighters Association, Local 820 has worked with State leaders to get some cancers covered as presumptive illness, but there is still so much to do. As with any program with a cost associated, the list of cancers covered state-wide was limited to about five. Under those currently covered, my late husband Chad Crisp’s cancer (esophageal) is still not covered.
Chattanooga friends…let’s use this week as a reminder to demand better for our first responders.
Leah Crisp
Widow of CFD Senior Fire Fighter Chad Crisp