California Professional Firefighters

Health and Safety Updates

Aug 18, 2010
Inhaling Ultra-Fine Particles May Raise FFs’ Heart Risks

Firefighters may face a heightened risk for heart disease as a result of breathing in extremely fine particles that infiltrate the smallest air passages and lodge in their lungs, new research indicates.

Jun 8, 2010
NIOSH Document Provides Recommendations for Protecting First Responders

Patient care puts first responders at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. A new NIOSH document provides practical recommendations aimed at protecting first responders, including reporting your exposures through a program like PER.

Apr 22, 2010
Firefighters Encouraged to Record Their Exposures

Through aggressive lobbying by CPF, California firefighters are now protected by some of the strongest firefighter presumption laws in the nation.

But firefighters still need proof of exposures! All of the presumptions in statute are disputable, which means that firefighters need evidence that an illness resulted on the job. It can mean all the difference in a workers' compensation claim.

Mar 29, 2010
NIOSH Recommends Discontinuing Use of Four Champak Respirators

Citing problems with internal testing, NIOSH has recommended that fire departments discontinue use of four Champak N95 respirators. NIOSH's recommendation targets four of the units' approval numbers: TC-84A-4363, TC-84A-4364, TC-84A-4394 and TC-84A-4665.

Oct 29, 2009
Local EMSA's Authorizing Paramedics to Administer H1N1 Vaccine

With the flu pandemic upon us, the state EMS Authority has set in motion a plan to allow local paramedics to administer the influenza vaccine. Under the plan, the LEMSA and the local health department may decide to temporarily expand the paramedic scope of practice to include administration of the pandemic vaccine, thereby enhancing community mass vaccination programs. 

Oct 7, 2009
Document Your Exposures with PEROnline.org

Since 1985, the CPF-sponsored Personal Exposure Reporting system has been helping firefighters identify and document the hazardous exposures they encounter on the job.

Aug 4, 2009
Study: FFs Face High Cancer Risk
A new study shows that firefighters are at high risk for developing cancer. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati said firefighters have a 100 percent higher risk of developing testicular cancer, a 50 percent higher risk for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 26 percent increased risk for prostate cancer.
May 29, 2009
Adopted Cal/OSHA Standard Reduces Infectious Disease Risk

Thanks to a strong push from California Professional Firefighters and technical support from the IAFF, a new standard has been adopted that will reduce first responders' risk of exposure to infectious disease.

Apr 10, 2009
Pack Test Falls Short as Fitness Test

California’s new Emergency Management Agency (Cal-EMA) has joined with labor and management to reject efforts to impose an inadequate physical ability test on both incoming and incumbent firefighters. In a joint statement, Cal-EMA, CPF and the California Fire Chiefs Association (CalChiefs) conclude that the NWCG “Pack Test” can’t and shouldn’t be used as a “fit for duty” test, and implementing it could threaten mutual-aid response.

Mar 6, 2009
CPF Testimony Supported Exemption from High-Visibility Safety Vests

Cal/OSHA this week issued further documentation supporting the California code which exempts firefighters from wearing high-visibility safety vests at emergency scenes on public roadways.

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