The East Providence Fire Department will be the first in the United States to be fully outfitted in turnout gear wholly free from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — also know as PFAS, or “forever chemicals”.

During a short ceremony on Tuesday morning at East Providence Fire Station 4 on Wampanoag Trail, Mayor Bob DaSilva and Fire Chief Michael Carey explained how the city had utilized American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to purchase a total of 170 sets of brand-new turnout gear to provide to all 125 firefighters in the city, plus 45 reserve ensembles.

The total cost of the gear was $658,000, and Chief Carey said that the gear lasts around 10 years before it has to be replaced. Three firefighters received their new gear as part of the event on Tuesday, and the remaining firefighters will all receive their gear this week as well.

DaSilva said the city was able to negotiate a favorable discount for the gear due to a continuing, 20-year partnership with protective gear manufacturers, Milliken and Fire-Dex.

“This partnership came out of Fire Chief Carey collaborating with the the two vendors to create a unique product that we're very proud to be the first in the nation to be outfitting,” DaSilva said. “Fortunately, we had the funding available and we invested in making sure that everyone in the department doesn't have to worry about having any PFAS, or forever chemicals, in their turnout gear.”

According to Chief Carey, the turnout gear comprises three layers — an exterior protective shell, a vapor/moisture barrier, and a thermal inner liner. The inner liner and the exterior protective shell, products manufactured by Milliken, did not and continue to not contain PFAS, but the vapor layer, traditionally, had relied on those chemicals.

The synthetic chemicals that make up PFAS — which have been used for decades in a variety of products from teflon pans and dental floss, to food packaging — take an unnaturally long time to break down and a growing body of research indicates can build up in a person’s body, potentially causing or exacerbating a variety of health concerns.

DaSilva and Carey said it was indicative of East Providence’s forward-thinking initiative that just this week, Governor Dan McKee signed a bill from the legislature that would mandate all Rhode Island fire departments go to non-PFAS turnout gear for their firefighters by Jan. 1, 2027.

“It’s taken a number of years to get it taken care of, but we’re here,” Carey said. “And Milliken is one of the first manufacturers to come up with that new material, working hand-in-hand which they have for years with Fire-Dex. And we’ve been completely happy with what we’ve had before. The fact that they’ve put the extra effort into doing this and us being first...we’re ecstatic about it.”

Asked about the viability of the new PFAS-free gear, Carey said that all three layers of the new turnout gear have received extensive testing and all meet the requisite federal safety standards for turnout gear.

In terms of replacing the gear down the line, and whether it would cost significantly more to do so in the long-run with the new material, Carey said he didn’t expect to see a “huge jump” in price going forward.