Cancer prevention top of mind as DeLand designs new fire station

DELAND, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - DeLand's new downtown fire station is putting a big focus on cancer prevention.

"Cancer is a big issue in the fire services. So what we're trying to do is prevent that from happening. Take care of our firefighters," said Division Chief Michael Vazquez.

Future fire station No. 81 is being planned near the corner of Howry and Clara avenues, just a short walk from the current station.

Vasquez said the two-story 16,000-square-foot building would be broken down into three zones: red, yellow and green.  The red zone is the area where the trucks come and go. The yellow is where firefighters will go to decontaminate.

"They will go in there, they will remove their clothes. We have showers supplied for them there, they will take their showers," explained Vazquez. "Then they're going to come out into the green zone, and they're going to get new clothes on after they showered."

Vazquez said amid studies highlighting cancer risks in firefighters, the new station is being planned for the future -- a trend being seen across the country.

"So now you see stations being built, being built around these parameters and these codes," he said.

Vazquez said it's a big shift, but needed to keep first responders safe.

"It's kind of like a culture change, you know. Me coming up, when I first started, it was about having dirty gear. The smell of smoke on your gear it was like a badge of honor," he said.