Pasadena Fire Department targets firefighter health following impacts of the Eaton Fire
By Kara Finnstrom
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PASADENA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Many Pasadena firefighters became ill when the Eaton Fire exploded into an urban nightmare, and 18 months later, one fire captain’s push for awareness and support has led to new detox tools at all eight stations.
Firefighters who put on protective gear to fight fires are getting new help to cleanse their bodies of the toxins they still absorb.
“We’re excited that our department is pursuing smoke detoxification units,” Pasadena Fire Department Capt. Dave Marquez said.
The sauna-like units use infrared light, and all the department’s stations and training center will soon install them.
“One of the evolving best practices right now is smoke reduction machines. Some of the toxins and other things they encounter are excreted in their sweat,” Pasadena Fire Department Chief Chad Augustin said.
Firefighters at Station 38, just months after the fire, shared some of the horrific effects: burning eyes, throat and headaches.
They had been on Altadena’s frontlines for 36 hours. Afterwards, some slept in oxygen masks, and others vomited for days.
Marquez coordinated with a nonprofit group of doctors who rushed to give them emergency care in tents at the Rose Bowl.
Months later, he took part in a 12-week detoxification program for firefighters who took blood tests and were found to have unsafe levels of heavy metals.
“In the days or perhaps even hours after the event, we can take steps to significantly improve our chances of recovery,” Marquez said.
He said their regimen, which also included diet changes and sessions in those detox units, worked. “The brain fog is gone, no more breathing issues, no more coughing issues,” Marquez said.
Earlier this year, he joined the nonprofit Protect Frontline Alliance, which wants to bring these therapies to firefighters nationwide. They’re also calling for the expanded yearly blood tests Pasadena fire now offers.
“In addition to knowing something important like your cholesterol numbers, a firefighter can understand what their forever chemicals are, what their heavy metals are, and that is huge,” Marquez said.
Pasadena’s chief is also announcing a developing partnership with the City of Hope. He says the cancer-fighting institution will help guide their roughly 200 firefighters.
“We said, hey, help us,” Augustin said. “They have research studies that we could participate in. As they’re looking at the evolution and technology changing on cancer screenings for early access, is it body scans, is it bloodwork?”
While all of the Eaton Fire’s impacts won’t be known for decades, Marquez says he feels healthy and hopeful.
“I’m about to turn 45, and I feel fantastic. A lot of that has to do with being supported,” he said. “I’d say we’re doing great, but I would just say it’s important that we don’t take our foot off the throttle.”
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