WASHINGTON, D.C. – With wildfire season in full bloom throughout the West, U.S. Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) is concerned that firefighters are in danger from their own equipment in addition to the threatening flames.
“Utah’s firefighters shouldn’t have to worry that the gear designed to keep them safe could expose them to harmful chemicals,” Curtis insists.
Firefighters are exposed to carcinogens when they respond to virtually every type of fire or incident, according to the Utah senator’s staff in Washington.
These harmful chemicals can be found in firefighters’ turnout gear, firefighting foams and in the smoke and air firefighters breathe.
Exposure to those chemicals is linked to an array of health problems, including various cancers, kidney disease, reduced immune function and reproductive challenges.
To combat those dangers, Curtis has introduced the Protecting Firefighters and Advancing State-of-the-Art (PFAS) Alternatives Act of 2026 into the 119th Congress. That bipartisan proposal aims to support the development of next-generation, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances-free protective gear to better protect firefighters from the dangers of their work.
Under severe drought conditions, much of the West is currently on fire.
As of July 10, the National Interagency Fire Center reports that more than 12,000 firefighters are working to suppress and contain 39 large fires across the country. So far this year, 38,541 fires have burned more than 3.4 million acres across the United States.
Here in Utah, a total of 404 fires have burned up nearly 350,000 acres so far during the 2026 wildfire season, according to the Utah Fire Info website.
Tragically, however, cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty death in the fire service, according to Senate staffers.
Because of their occupational exposure to carcinogens, including hazardous chemicals and other toxins in their own protective gear, firefighters are nearly 10% more likely to develop cancer and almost 15% more likely to die from cancer than the general population.
Despite advances in research and materials science, there is no protective gear currently available to firefighters that is proven to be completely hazard-free.
The PFAS Alternatives Act would help address these concerns by creating a new grant program dedicated to the research, development and testing of turnout gear that maintains effectiveness while improving firefighter safety.
“This bipartisan legislation invests in the research needed to improve turnout gear, helping ensure firefighters have the proper protective equipment they deserve,” Curtis explains.
The proposed legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Ed Markey (D-MA).
Companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives has been proposed by Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Sam Graves (R-MO).
The PFAS Alternatives Act is also supported by the International Association of Fire Fighters.