Caribbean firefighters' association adopts cancer prevention recommendations

The Caribbean Association of Firefighters (CAF) adopted 12 regional recommendations on Wednesday 21 October aimed at cancer prevention and occupational safety for firefighters, CAF General Secretary Ance Lemessy said. The measures were agreed at the end of the association's 12th executive meeting in Dominica.

According to Lemessy, the recommendations call for a regional prevention policy, post-fire decontamination procedures, clean areas in fire stations, maintenance and replacement of protective equipment, and minimum training in exposure control. They also call for documentation of firefighters' exposure to potentially harmful substances.

The proposals include occupational health assessments, regional cancer research and cooperation with CARICOM, the International Labour Organization and national occupational safety and health authorities, Lemessy said. CAF also cited the International Agency for Research on Cancer's Group 1 classification of occupational exposure associated with firefighting as carcinogenic to humans.