Mayor Sean Ryan took to the Buffalo Fire Headquarters Monday, May 11 to announce a $1 million proposed investment in new turnout gear for local firefighters. The funds would help phase in new gear that would help improve mobility, reduce working weight, and, most importantly, help reduce exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
The gear currently in use contains PFASs — “forever chemicals” that make the uniforms water and oil resistant, but those chemicals have also been linked to various forms of cancer. Ryan says investing in new gear is investing in the entire city.
“This budget is about fixing the basics, supporting our workforce and making sure Buffalo residents see the kind of reliable city services that they deserve. Protecting our firefighters is part of that commitment,” he said.
The proposal is included in Ryan's 2026-27 proposed budget for the city. The investment would fund the purchase of approximately 330 thirty sets of turnout gear as part of a multi-year replacement plan.
As for how a city with a budget gap upwards of $100 million will afford the new gear, Ryan says that’s where proposed tax increases come into play.
“Some of that $40 million from the tax increase, $1 million of it will go to protecting firefighters,” he said.
By the end of the current three-year cycle, it was explained, every Buffalo firefighter should have two new sets of gear, which are in constant use and need of replacement.
"We distribute two sets of gear per firefighter. Sometimes that's not enough for our busier companies," said Buffalo Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Pizarro. "Making sure that we have the gear that we need as firefighters, not only just in bulk, but also in operational guidelines along with NFPA [National Fire Protection Agency] standards, is critical."
Firefighters’ exposure to carcinogens through their gear and environmental hazards nearly places them on par with smokers in terms of their likelihood of developing cancer. They’re two to eight times more susceptible to different cancers than non-fire fighters. Mary Reid, chief of cancer screening and survivorship at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, says cancer rates in active and retired firefighters are climbing and strong evidence links them to forever chemicals found in older turnout gear.
“For years, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, strokes [were] major cause[s] of death among retired firefighters. That has changed. Sixty percent of retired firefighters now die of cancer,” she said.
Roswell Park will integrate cancer screenings into firefighters’ standard annual health assessments starting this year, according to Reid. Since 2018, the cancer institute has done over a thousand initial cancer screenings for firefighters.
