Perceptions of Cancer Risk and Gear Decontamination Among Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Firefighters: Insights from a Mixed Methods Study.

Objective: Characterize Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) firefighters' perceptions of occupational exposure, health impacts, and decontamination practices, and describe barriers to effective gear cleaning.
Methods: A convergent parallel mixed methods design was employed, collecting and analyzing quantitative survey data (n = 81) and qualitative focus group data (n = 52) from ARFF firefighters at three Florida airports.
Results: ARFF firefighters expressed concerns about chronic exposure to hazardous materials and perceived a heightened cancer risk. Despite acknowledging the importance of gear decontamination, they reported infrequent cleaning behaviors due to persistent contamination and barriers, including lack of a second set of gear. Firefighters' perceived norms emerged as the primary predictor of gear-cleaning behavior.
Conclusions: Targeted interventions and policies are needed to address the unique challenges faced by ARFF firefighters in reducing occupational exposure risks and improving gear decontamination practices.
Competing Interests: Disclosures: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.
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