HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Hanceville Fire & Rescue now has a Good Health Sauna to help keep its firefighters safe, thanks to the Hanceville City Council and Mayor Nolan Bradford approving the sauna in its last budget.
Firefighters face one of the highest occupational cancer risks due to exposure to carcinogens like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The Firefighter Cancer Alliance reports that cancer is the second leading cause of deaths for firefighters in the U.S.
Firefighters can reduce the risk with proper PPE and routine care such as showering immediately after a call, cleaning PPE and gear regularly, separating contaminated gear to prevent second-hand exposure and taking a relaxing rest in a sauna.
Assistant Fire Chief Bart Absher said sauna use can support cancer‑prevention efforts for firefighters by helping remove contaminants through sweating, reducing dermal absorption after fires and improving recovery.
“It was something that we had been working on for several years, when (Former) Chief (Roger) Green was here,” said Absher. “It was something very much to his heart because he had cancer. So we wanted to do everything we could do to prevent it.”
He continued, “Even though our firefighters are dressed in proper equipment and separating that equipment from the cab of the fire engine, that still doesn’t protect them fully. During a fire you’re wearing everything – your turnout gear – you’re wearing everything to protect you, but it does not protect you from the carcinogens and stuff that is in the air. So your pores are extremely opened up.”
Toxic chemicals can still penetrate or transfer through firefighter turnout gear; research suggests that while PPE is designed to block many hazards, certain toxic substances can pass through the breathable membranes in the middle layer of turnout gear, especially when the firefighter’s body is cooler than the surrounding environment.
The CDC says that hazardous chemicals from burning materials like benzene and formaldehyde can coat the outer surface of PPE. These can then be absorbed through the skin much like how a frog’s skin is highly permeable, so too are humans under different conditions. These toxins can be inhaled, or ingested if not removed promptly, and contaminants trapped in gear can off-gas over time, especially during storage or transport, leading to secondary exposure.
Using a sauna adds an extra layer of insurance. Saunas promote heavy sweating, which may help remove surface contaminants and some absorbed toxins after proper decontamination. Absher stated that before the sauna, they would still smell like smoke even after a shower.
“My wife would always say, ‘You still smell like smoke,’ and it’d be like two days later from the fire because it is trapped in your pores.”
Using a sauna after showering and gross decontamination may reduce continued absorption by clearing residual contaminants from pores. Relaxing muscles and improving circulation is a nice added bonus.
Absher and his crew are excited to be the first fire department in Cullman County to have an infrared sauna installed and are eagerly trying it out. Absher said he hopes it will encourage other towns and fire departments to look into the opportunity.
