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United Fire Service Women urges exposure-reduction training after biomonitoring finds PFAS in women firefighters
Summary
United Fire Service Women told the Fire Commission Feb. 13 that a UC Berkeley–led biomonitoring study detected multiple PFAS chemicals in women firefighters and that exposure-prevention training and post-fire testing are being rolled out locally and shared nationally.
Catherine Alba, vice president of United Fire Service Women (UFSW), told the San Francisco Fire Commission on Feb. 13 that a collaborative biomonitoring study led by UC Berkeley and the Silent Spring Institute detected multiple PFAS chemicals in every firefighter tested and higher levels among personnel who used AFFF firefighting foam. Alba said UFSW secured grant funding for the study and used the findings to develop training and post‑fire testing protocols for department members.
The UFSW presentation summarized the organization—s history and mission: formed from consent‑decree hires in the 1980s, incorporated as an employee group in the 1990s and later organized as a nonprofit, the group now includes about 181 members and provides supplemental training across ranks. "Our goal is to work with the administration and the department for the good of not just the women in the department, but for all in the department," Alba said. Lieutenant Heather Buren described training offerings— forcible entry, low‑angle rescue ropes, pump operations and promotion preparation—that began as women‑only sessions and are now open to all members.
On occupational health, Alba and Buren said UFSW helped convene scientists and advocates and won CBCRP grant funding that allowed collection of biological samples from women firefighters and an office‑worker comparison group. They said the results showed elevated PFAS across test subjects and particularly high concentrations in firefighters with known AFFF foam exposure. Alba described follow‑up projects, including a Working Women Biomonitoring Collaborative and a post‑fire testing protocol that samples blood and urine at 24 hours, two weeks and one month after defined exposure events.
Commissioners responded with questions about the scope and distribution of UFSW training materials and the department—s role in wider outreach. Commissioner Ken Cleveland praised the training and asked what makes it unique; Alba said the women‑led, supplemental format allows participants to ask candid questions and pursue career‑focused skills. UFSW representatives said their contamination demonstration video is publicly available on YouTube and that they travel nationally to teach the exposure‑reduction curriculum.
The presentation also covered UFSW—s youth outreach and fundraising: the group runs Camp Blaze and participates in the NorCal First Alarm Girls Fire Camp to expose high‑school girls to careers in firefighting; it has raised roughly $100,000 for cancer prevention charities since 2012. Commissioners thanked UFSW for the briefing and asked to be notified of a fuller March presentation to command staff. The commission did not take formal action on the presentation.
The next procedural step announced was an invitation: UFSW said it will provide full study results and a separate, in‑depth presentation to department command staff and interested commissioners.
