a day ago
Montreal invests millions to make firefighter gear safer, less contaminated
The City of Montreal is investing millions of dollars to improve the health and safety of firefighters, including purchasing new protective gear.
In a news release on Thursday, the city said it would spend just under $6.4 million this year. The city is committing to set aside $3.2 million annually as of 2026.
"Thanks to significant investments, the city is improving the traceability, the decontamination, the maintenance and the renewing of protective clothing, ensuring better protection against risks that firefighters are exposed to," reads the city's statement.
"This initiative, done in collaboration with the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (SIM), aims to secure safer working conditions for those who display bravery on a daily basis."
In May, the province's workplace health and safety board, known by its French initialism CNESST, officially added six cancers to the presumptive cancer list, bringing that total to 15. When firefighters are diagnosed with a type of cancer that is on that list, they do not need to prove it was related to their work in order to get compensation.
British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia recognize between 18 and 20 types of workplace-related cancers for firefighters.
