Mount Pleasant-based Motley Rice law firm on Jan. 11 is hosting a screening of Burned, a short film produced by Ethereal Films and Mark Ruffalo which depicts how Diane Cotter, married to Worcester, Mass. firefighter Paul Cotter, began investigating the true cause of her husband’s recent cancer diagnosis — and found the answer in his gear material.
“We view the documentary as a powerful tool humanizing the challenges faced by firefighters due to the unnecessary toxic exposure through PPE, underscoring the crucial need for manufacturers to take accountability and prioritize the safety of essential gear,” said Motley Rice attorney Anne McGinness Kearse.
Cotter sent her husband’s gear to university engineer Dr. Graham Peaslee in 2017, and the scientist discovered that Cotter’s firefighter uniform contained extremely high levels of toxins called PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which also are known as “forever chemicals” due to the difficulty of removing them from the environment. The couple then went on a crusade to convince coworkers of the dangers in what, to them, had been everyday clothing, despite many other firefighters’ disbelief and suspicion of their findings.
The film also offers an overview of allegations of a widespread cover-up of the health hazards inherent to the products companies manufactured.
Burned combines real narration from firefighter union leaders, footage from previous cancer prevention summits sponsored by PFAS manufacturing companies, and interviews with scientists and producers to craft an emotional testimony against the profit-over-people market approach which Jason Burns, former president of Firefighters Local 1314 in Fall River, Mass., said has prevailed at the expense of firefighters, their families and their children.
“We’re not always good at taking care of each other,” he added during a speech captured in the film.
Documentary screens at 6 p.m. Thursday
Motley Rice — one of the largest plaintiffs’ litigation firms in the country and the group spearheading the legal fight against firefighter gear forever chemicals — is showing the 30-minute documentary at 6 p.m. Jan. 11 at the Sottile Theatre in Charleston. It will be followed by a question-and-answer session including the film’s featured firefighters, workers’ rights lawyers and advocates against PFAS exposure. Tickets are free, but you must get them online to be admitted.
Safety tips
Some fire departments are following updated safety protocols to help keep their workers safe, including guidelines issued in a joint statement by International Association of Fire Fighters and Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association:
- Limiting wearing PFAS-containing gear to “serious calls” and storing it in the trucks; not bringing it out for routine events and work in everyday living quarters.
- Encouraging firefighters to clean their uniforms after responding to an emergency call in their turnout gear.
- Enstating protocols — like sealed storage bags placed away from truck passengers — to ensure safe gear handling.
- Recommending that firefighters wash their hands after touching their uniforms.
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