Local News

Quincy approves money for new firefighting gear after PFAS found in old gear

City councilors recently approved $2.65 million after weeks of debate over safety risks, costs, and firefighter health concerns.

A mother and child were rescued from a flooded home on Post Island Road on March 2, 2018. Quincy firefighters used boats and front end loaders to rescue many residents. John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe

By Morgan Rousseau

March 28, 2026 | 8:12 AM

2 minutes to read

Quincy officials this week approved $2.65 million to replace firefighters’ protective gear after testing revealed it contained chemicals linked to cancer and other health risks.

The decision follows weeks of debate and growing pressure from local firefighters and residents who urged city leaders to equip more than 270 firefighters with safer gear.

For the past six years, firefighters have been wearing equipment found to contain PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The city plans to purchase two sets of PFAS-free gear for each firefighter in the coming weeks, according to the Boston Globe.

Earlier this month, city councilors delayed a vote on the funding, saying they needed more time to consider questions about the long-term durability of PFAS-free gear, as well as cost concerns.

In a statement released ahead of the vote, Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts President Richard D. MacKinnon Jr. urged councilors to approve the funding, noting that occupational cancer is the leading cause of death among line-of-duty firefighters.

“The price of this equipment pales in comparison to the human consequences of inaction,” MacKinnon said. “Choosing not to properly outfit firefighters in PFAS-free protective gear is shortsighted and indefensible. Our job is already dangerous enough, and firefighters should not be put at further risk by working in gear that exposes us to additional toxic contaminants.”

Quincy Firefighters Association Local 792 President Tom Bowes told the Globe that some Quincy firefighters have already been diagnosed with cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS.

“My biggest worry used to be that the phone rings in the middle of the night because the guy is trapped in a building or something,” Bowes said. “Now it’s the phone ringing and the guy’s telling me he got sick and it sucks. It sucks for their families.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS don’t break down in the environment or the human body and can accumulate over time, which is why they’re also known as “forever chemicals.” The EPA has linked exposure to increased risks of certain cancers, immune and reproductive problems, high cholesterol, obesity, and developmental delays in children.

The city’s current gear was bought in 2019 with the understanding that it was PFAS-free. However, multiple rounds of testing later found that wasn’t the case.

“There is one entity to blame in all this — the companies that deliberately lied to us and poisoned us,” the Friends of Quincy Firefighters IAFF Local 792’s Post said in a March 18 Facebook post.

In August 2024, Gov. Maura Healey signed legislation to phase out the use of PFAS in firefighting gear. Starting in January, it will be illegal for manufacturers and sellers to knowingly sell gear to Massachusetts fire departments that contains intentionally added PFAS chemicals.