FRV bans growing vegies or running chooks at fire stations over cancer fear
Fire Rescue Victoria has warned former CFA and MFB firefighters they face the risk of developing cancer if they keep chooks or grow vegetables at the station. Here’s why.
FIRE Rescue Victoria has banned the practice of running a few chooks at stations or tending a vegie patch out the back, due to fears surrounding soil could be contaminated with the now banned PFAS fire retardant, which has been tentatively linked to some cancers.
Victoria’s new fire service issued a safety alert within weeks of being formed on July 1, titled “PFAS Contamination of FRV Fire Station Garden Beds Risk”, which warns career firefighters:
DO NOT eat any fruit, vegetables or herbs grown at FRV Fire Stations.
DO NOT eat eggs laid by poultry kept at FRV Stations.
DO NOT plant any fruit, vegetables or herbs in any Fire Station garden beds.
DO NOT permit any controlled animals at Fire Stations other than those trained as an aid (e.g. guide dogs).
ENSURE only clean footwear is worn within the Fire Station.
But one former CFA career firefighter, who is now employed by FRV, said it was “comical” and an “over-reaction” that FRV should implement such a ban.
“Prove it’s (the soil) contaminated first,” he said. “They can’t even get enough crews for the fire season and here they are worrying about eating eggs.”
The career firefighter said he was aware that some of the 38 former CFA stations, which were merged with FRV on July 1, such as Frankston, had chooks, while he thought Rowville, Hallam, Shepparton and Bendigo station crews had been growing vegies.
But FRV has made it clear it wanted the production of any food around stations to end.
“The safety of Operational Personnel may be at risk due to the potential of PFAS contamination in the soil at FRV Fire Stations,” the alert stated.
“PFAS contamination may be present in the soil at FRV Fire Stations as a result of the previous use of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) containing Poly and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).
“Once in the soil, this may result in the contamination of food grown (e.g. vegetables) and any eggs laid from poultry on site.
“Contaminated soil may also be transferred to clean areas via shoes or animals. PFAS has been found to be highly persistent and bio-accumulative, and can remain in the environment and human body for many years.”
FRV states that based on research findings, it has endorsed a precautionary approach, “recognising PFAS as an organisational risk which has been given a strategic priority for mitigation”.
The alert states a PFAS Repatriation Program is currently investigating how firefighters might be exposed to the retardant in their workplaces and the environment.
The CFA stopped using PFAS in 2007 and closed its Fiskville training facility due to concerns over contamination of the site.
In 2018 the Federal Department of Health commissioned an expert panel to investigate the risks from PFAs, which concluded:
THE evidence does not support PFAS being a major contributor to cancer burden in workers or exposed community populations; but
IT IS possible there is increased risk of some uncommon cancers, such as kidney and testis.
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