With bushfire fighting now classified as a carcinogenic occupation by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, this research resulted in the issuing of personal protective equipment to hundreds of firefighters in Western Australia.
During seven years as a volunteer firefighter in Western Australia, Kiam Padamsey wished more was being done to address his colleagues’ exposure to smoke on the job.
"It was suffocating," he says. "There were times where you couldn’t even see beyond the bonnet of your vehicle. At the end of the day, your body and clothes would just stink of smoke."
Seeing an important evidence gap, Dr Padamsey undertook Centre-funded research that has led to more than 700 Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) firefighters being issued with P3 masks – half- and full-face reusable respirators ahead of the 2024–25 bushfire season as a result of a PhD project funded by the Centre.
The Centre provided a Top-up Scholarship through Edith Cowan University to Dr Padamsey, lecturer in public and occupational health, to undertake a PhD studying the possible risks to wildland firefighters from an occupational hygiene perspective.
He studied firefighters’ understanding of workplace exposures and their use of personal protective equipment (PPE). He checked the level of physical exposure to carcinogens during bushfires and looked at whether some types of fire are more dangerous to firefighters’ health than others.
The research found firefighters in bushfire environments are exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds, though volunteer firefighters in WA had a poor understanding of these risks. It also found firefighting tunics are a potential secondary source of chemical exposure post-shift, both for firefighters and their families.
The research findings were immediately communicated to the DBCA and Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), with both agencies implementing changes based on the research.
Dr Padamsey’s research reinforced the need for cultural change within the system, says Brad Barton, DBCA Regional Fire Services Coordinator.
"While our staff have worn various forms of PPE throughout the Department’s history, we continually strive to provide the most appropriate equipment, guided by new and updated research, to protect them on the fireline.
"Thanks to Kiam’s research and the adoption of other industry standards, PPE use is improving and becoming standard practice. We are now in the process implementing broader changes to our general practice – including regular replacement of masks and filters and consistent use of PPE and improved laundry practices to ensure we are doing all the right things," he says.
In future, the findings have the potential to improve workplace health and safety for more than 200,000 volunteer firefighters in Australia.
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