Province invests $64K to curb cancer risk for Fort Erie firefighters

The Fort Erie Fire Department will receive $64,000 from the Ontario government to reduce cancer risks for firefighters through new safety equipment inside local stations. The funding is part of a $621,000 provincial allocation to 10 Niagara fire departments announced this week.

Fire Chief Mark Schmitt told Fort Erie Radio the investment will be used to install direct contact exhaust extraction systems inside Fort Erie fire halls to remove diesel fumes when fire trucks start indoors. Diesel exhaust is a known carcinogen and is most concentrated during engine start-up inside enclosed spaces.

The equipment attaches directly to fire truck exhaust pipes and activates automatically when vehicles start, pulling harmful fumes outside before they can spread through the station. This reduces firefighter exposure during daily operations and limits contamination of gear and surfaces.

“It is entirely to protect the staff who work in those stations, to make sure they are not breathing that stuff and that diesel soot is not settling on equipment or surfaces where firefighters can pick it up,” Schmitt said.

The funding comes through the provincial Fire Protection Grant program and is dedicated to cancer prevention initiatives. It follows a similar provincial grant last year that allowed Fort Erie to purchase large industrial washing units used to clean contaminated firefighting gear after exposure to combustion byproducts.

“Firefighters are always there when we need them, running toward danger to protect our homes and our communities,” said Ontario’s Solicitor General Michael Kerzner in the news release announcing the investment.

Across Niagara, the province distributed more than $621,000 to 10 municipalities, including $119,211 to Niagara Falls, $91,184 to St. Catharines and $52,821 to Pelham. The funding supports cancer prevention equipment, lithium ion battery response tools and minor infrastructure upgrades.

A recent study by the University of the Fraser Valley cited in the release found that firefighters are killed by cancer at a rate about three times higher than the general population due to repeated exposure to hazardous substances.

In Canada, 50 to 60 firefighters die of cancer every year and half of those are from Ontario.

Installation timelines for the new exhaust extraction systems at Fort Erie fire stations will be set once procurement is complete.

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