By Stephen Clapham

It may shock people to learn that cancer is the most dangerous threat to firefighter health and safety. In fact, cancer is the leading cause of fire fighter line-of-duty deaths.  The risk from cancer can in large part be traced back to the increased use of chemical and plastic materials in much of our everyday lives. Firefighters encounter these risks in nearly every fire that we are called on to tackle. And with the rise of fast-moving wildfires threatening more urban areas, we are facing new risks to our health and our ability to knock down these blazes. This issue became more apparent here in Colorado after the Marshall Fire in 2022, where we also saw the concerning issue of contaminated drinking water linked to wildfires.   

This threat to contaminated water from wildfires is not new; what’s new is that researchers are now diving into how it happens and the root causes. In 2017 and 2018, families returning home from the Tubbs and Camp fires in Northern California noticed an odor coming from their tap water. As water professionals investigated and enlisted independent researchers to help, they discovered melted plastic pipes and components and that the drinking water systems in Paradise and Santa Rosa had extremely high levels of benzene, a chemical that’s found in gasoline, plastics, and other products.

How did benzene get into the drinking water? The likeliest candidate: melted plastic pipes and components that were part of the drinking water infrastructure.

Just two years later, in California, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District got a firsthand look at what happens to plastic pipes in wildfires when seven miles of high-density polyethylene pipe that connected water sources to the treatment plant melted to ash in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.

In the wake of these incidents, California passed a law a requiring that public water systems that experience a wildfire, test for benzene as soon as it’s safe. This law was recently put to the test when utilities in the Los Angeles area were affected by the Palisades Fire that broke out in January

The Palisades Fire in California teaches us an important lesson: urban areas are not immune to wildfires. Typically, we envision wildfires raging through thousands of acres of uninhabited or low-density population areas. However, as wildfires grow more intense, spread more quickly, and become deadlier — exacerbated by climate change and ongoing droughts — we must re-evaluate how we’re tackling these crises.

The Marshall Fire, which ravaged Boulder County, should have been our local and direct wake-up call.

Firefighters have always known the dangers they face on the job. Smoke — regardless of its source — contains harmful toxins. The perilous nature of this work has led groups such as the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network to be a vital advocate for improving the working conditions of these brave individuals.

In municipalities across Colorado and throughout the country, underground plastic pipes are responsible for carrying water to and within many homes and businesses. The most common plastic pipes are polyvinyl chloride (PVC). However, when exposed to extreme heat from wildfires, these pipes can degrade and melt, releasing toxic chemicals into the water supply as well as toxic smoke that firefighters are forced to confront. Research has shown that when plastic pipes burn, they can leach dangerous chemicals like benzene and other volatile organic compounds into drinking water systems.

The risks of PVC pipes extend far beyond fire damage. Central to this concern is vinyl chloride, the toxic chemical used to make them. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is actively investigating this toxic chemical to determine what restrictions need to be placed on its use.

Despite the risks posed by leaching chemicals and the health risks to firefighters, plastic pipes continue to be widely used in water distribution systems. Yet there are safer, more resilient alternatives available. With the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires, it is imperative for policymakers, engineers, and environmental advocates to unite in addressing this neglected crisis.

Investing in safer, fire-resistant materials that won’t melt in the face of wildfires for water infrastructure is not just a precaution – it is a necessity for safeguarding communities from the cascading effects of climate change. Moreover, stronger regulations are needed to ensure critical water systems can withstand extreme heat without endangering public health.

We can start by declaring a moratorium on plastic pipes in Colorado’s drinking water systems, at least until the EPA’s investigation is concluded. That’s the least we can do for my fellow firefighters who bravely serve and risk their lives every day to protect us.

Stephen Clapham is a retired Aurora, Colorado firefighter.