How your firefighter career timeline can strengthen your AFFF case

A career in firefighting is a structured journey of continuous training and taking on more advanced responsibilities each year. But every additional year of service also means more exposure to toxic chemicals, like the ones in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). AFFF was once considered the solution for all types of liquid fires, but it is now being phased out because its components (PFAS) have been linked to various types of cancer. If you have at least two years of firefighting experience and you were diagnosed with an AFFF-related cancer, you may be eligible to file an AFFF claim.

How your firefighting career timeline strengthens your claim: Documenting years of AFFF exposure

As early as two years into your service, you may have already had numerous points of contact with PFAS chemicals, but the primary source of exposure is the use of AFFF. In filing AFFF claims, your firefighting career timeline in your employment records would be required to show proof of PFAS exposure, including documented uses of AFFF. Here is a summary of the firefighting career timeline (with estimated years of experience) and how a firefighter may encounter AFFF in each stage.

1. Firefighter I. (2+ years) If you have a Firefighter I certification, you probably finished several months of classes and training at your department's fire academy. Within two years, you're likely to have already encountered AFFF in your probationary firefighter duties and fire department drills.
2. Firefighter II. (2 to 5+ years). By the time you have your Firefighter II certification, you are expected to have advanced knowledge in the suppression of Class B and Class C fires. According to the Curriculum Manual of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, anyone who has completed Firefighter II certification should be able to suppress Class B fires covering at least 100 square feet. For decades, AFFF was the go-to solution for all kinds of Class B fires due to its effectiveness. If you developed cancer after two to five years in service, your condition may be related to your AFFF exposure.
3. Fire Captain, Battalion Fire Chief, Platoon Chief, and more. (5 to 20+ years) In most cases, to be able to test for the Fire Captain promotion exam, you must have been a firefighter for at least five years. To be considered for a District/Battalion Fire Chief, you must have been a Fire Captain for at least three years. You need another three years as Battalion Fire Chief to be considered for promotion to Platoon Chief. With this timeline of progression, firefighters with more than five years of experience are likely to have greater exposure to AFFF products, mainly because they are also expected to conduct and supervise multiple drills in a year, give instructions using the AFFF equipment in live fire simulations, and do routine inspections of AFFF equipment and storage leaks or spills.

Civilian (career and volunteer) firefighters may file AFFF claims if they have been diagnosed with any of the following cancers:

• Kidney cancer
• Testicular cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Liver cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Male breast cancer
• Thyroid cancer

Career and volunteer firefighters: File your AFFF claim with ELG Law

ELG Law has spent over two decades assisting victims of toxic exposure, and we are prepared to help career and volunteer firefighters file AFFF claims for cancer. If you served in the military, we also assist military firefighters in filing both AFFF claims and VA claims. We only need your employment records (or military records) and your medical documents showing your AFFF-related cancer diagnosis. If your case is eligible, our lawyers will handle the filing process on your behalf, allowing you to focus on treatment and recovery.