When Rob Gibbs began volunteering as a firefighter in the CFA, he was strong both physically and mentally, but 21 years later he sits on the couch in his Cowwarr home feeling like a burden to his family.
Key points:
- Rob Gibbs was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2016
- He fought fires for 15 years and asks firefighters to have regular blood tests
- The World Health Organization says firefighting is a cancer-causing profession
Gibbs, 52, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2016, had one of his legs amputated and has spent about three of the last five years in hospital.
“It’s hard with everything that happens to my body. Sometimes you think, why bother?” He said.
“If it weren’t for my wife and daughter, I probably would have gone some time ago in all honesty.”
Importance of PPE
Gibbs fought fires in Gippsland and the metropolitan city of Melbourne for 15 years and was now pushing for firefighters to work to protect themselves by doing blood tests regularly and using personal protective equipment.
If you or someone you know needs help:
“Don’t think I’m not going to get cancer. Stay ahead and go, well, I’ll do my best to protect myself and my family,” Gibbs said.
“Smoke does not discriminate.
“It’s dangerous, it’s horrible and you need to make people aware of the risk it entails.”
Gibbs said firefighters should be aware of the specific dangers of witnessing structural fires.
“Older houses, many of them are full of asbestos,” he said.
“If the house is burning and there’s no one inside and it’s burning really well, don’t come in, it doesn’t make sense.”
In a statement, a CFA spokesman said the authority took safety in the workplace seriously and provided respiratory protection and health surveillance to staff.
“Victorian firefighters are also protected by state government legislation on alleged cancer rights, which covers 12 specific cancers,” the CFA spokesman said.
WHO recommendations
Earlier this month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization announced that fighting fire was a cancer-causing profession.
Firefighting was updated in Group 1, classified as “carcinogenic to humans” based on evidence that workers were exposed to a variety of chemicals and hazards at work.
The director of cancer services at Latrobe Regional Hospital, Tricia Wright, said that every time people were exposed to toxins the risk of cancer increased.
“All of these toxic chemicals can be absorbed both through the lungs when you breathe them in and through the skin,” Dr. Wright said.
“Firefighters have been identified as people whose employment can increase the risk of cancer on a daily basis.”
Fires should have blood tests done regularly
The World Health Organization has classified firefighting as a cancer-causing profession due to exposure to carcinogenic toxins. (ABC News)
Dr. Wright said protective equipment and regular cancer screening were important to firefighters.
Despite the health risks, the head of the Fire Union, Peter Marshall, said demand for the profession remained high.
“There are still at least 2,000 to 3,000 applicants for 30 places,” Marshall said.
“They do it because they like to help people even though they face a pretty significant risk to their own health and safety.
“The occupation of firefighting is in fact one that renounces the quantity and quality of life to protect the citizenry.”
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