Kevin Ferrara, AFSO21
Let me start with a brief introduction. I have proudly served the public for thirty-four years beginning as a volunteer firefighter, moving my way up in rank to being selected as a senior fire officer in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) managing various fire protection and emergency service programs for fourteen USAF fire departments, earning various recognitions for my achievements and creations along the way, to now being an owner of a fire protection and emergency service (FPES) consulting business.
Upon retiring from the USAF in 2017 as a Master Sergeant, throughout my military career, I was exposed to Aqueous Film Forming Foam, otherwise known as AFFF. Unbeknown to me, AFFF was considered toxic for decades prior to my service due to the product containing Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances otherwise known as PFAS.
My name is Kevin Ferrara and while proudly volunteering to serve my country and protecting innocent lives, I and thousands of other firefighters like me were deceived by U.S. military leaders, firefighter foam, and PFAS manufacturers who kept repeating, AFFF was safe, that it was “just soap and water”.
In 1991, after graduating from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Fire Academy at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois where trainees were repeatedly told AFFF was “soap and water”, my 20-year USAF career involved participating in the use of AFFF, spraying it every shift during daily operational checks, during training, and during emergencies.
I remember an incident where AFFF was used to suppress an F-111 aircraft that crashed on the end of the main runway and a second where it was accidentally released inside an aircraft hangar. Instead of containing it, we simply washed it off the runway or down drain systems where it likely soaked into the soil.
Something I learned from speaking to thousands of former military firefighters is that AFFF was often used outside of its intended purpose. Because of its performance characteristics, AFFF was used to wash fire apparatus, uniforms, sprayed during fire prevention visits where innocent attendees, mostly children, would be exposed.
It was around 2015 when I first saw the acronyms PFOA and PFOS. I didn’t think much about it then but wish I had, knowing what I know today. There were a few emails sent out that addressed environmental concerns with the use of AFFF and that AFFF contained PFOA and PFOS. In fact, looking back at the email it stated, “We are told the AF is facing environmental cleanup costs caused by old PFOA/PFOA AFFF in the $1–2B range, so the projected $20–40M for complete AFFF replacement will probably not be seen as excessive but instead as a smart investment.” That email never went into detail stating what PFOA and PFOS were and what risks were associated with the substances however, it appears those sending out the message knew at the time but said nothing. Apparently, the USAF felt swapping out harmful AFFF to protect the environment was a good investment but not a good investment to protect firefighters and the public.
Around November 2015, the USAF began to talk about replacing AFFF and eventually sent out their ‘plan’. That plan consisted of performing a ‘triple-rinse’ and then capturing the effluent into various containers and trucking it off via a contractor to be incinerated. The USAF did provide some minimal guidance regarding personal protective actions during the swap out but again, not once did they mention to any of the over 200 USAF fire departments and thousands of USAF firefighters, the risks of being exposed to AFFF.
Throughout my entire USAF career up to the day I retired in 2017, I never learned what PFOA and PFOS were nor, did I ever understand the health risks. It was not until 2020, several years after I retired, that I was introduced to Hope Grosse, Joanne Stanton, Andrea Amico, and Diane Cotter, all of who were personally dealing with PFAS contamination. Each of them provided me a wealth of information on PFAS and I was stunned at the information being forwarded to me, asking myself why didn’t I know about this sooner.
As I scrolled through the files of information, I could feel my body react, I was becoming angrier and angrier. My anger was not directed at my fire instructors or fire chiefs and supervisors who told me AFFF was soap and water, rather it was directed at those above them, senior leaders in the USAF and DoD who knew AFFF was not safe since the early 1970s, but instead of telling the truth, purposely deceived firefighters and remained silent while many of us became sick or died.
A short time later, I was put in contact with the Environmental Working Group (EWG) who reached out to me seeking my personal AFFF experience as a former military firefighter. It was EWG, particularly, Scott Faber, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs who shared with me specific documents that proved what everyone was saying, the U.S. military knew. In fact, the documents clearly showed the U.S. military knew since the early 1970’s that AFFF, a product I learned from reading through the supplied documents, was invented by the U.S. Navy and considered toxic with reports stating AFFF caused tumors in exposed lab animals. Click this link to see the PFAS timeline https://www.ewg.org/research/pfas-firefighter-timeline/.
How could it be the U.S. military knew that AFFF was toxic in the early 1970s but kept silent for decades, never mentioning those findings to those who used it daily and often without proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Who was the U.S. military protecting? It sure wasn’t the firefighters.
I was asked by Scott Faber and EWG to personally share my experiences with members of the U.S. Congress in Washington DC. Twice now, I have walked the halls of the U.S. Capitol to speak with members of Congress or their staff about AFFF and PFAS exposure to military veterans and firefighters and the impact it has had and continues to have. Numerous times I have spoken with local, state, and federal leaders about how the Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to deny claims for veterans exposed to AFFF and PFAS, with the VA stating exposure to PFAS is not service-connected. In fact, click this link to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website regarding PFAS https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/pfas.asp and you will read how they do not recommend PFAS blood tests and state that such tests cannot link current or future health conditions or guide medical treatment decisions. Yet, ask any Oncologist and they will tell you, one way of evaluating a patient’s risk of cancer is by conducting an early detection cancer blood test.
Every day, I hear stories from former and Active-Duty military and civilian firefighters as well as veterans exposed to AFFF and or PFAS about how they or a family member are dealing with cancer and other medical illnesses they believe to be a result of their repeated exposure.
The DoD is now testing Active-Duty military and civilian firefighters for PFAS via blood tests and so far from the results of those tests voluntarily provided to me, indicate military firefighters have elevated PFAS in their blood serum, some twelve times what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) considers a ‘normal range’. Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) affects the lungs and is the PFAS chemical with the highest levels among those who provided me their results. Yet, the DoD denies any health impact and lacks a course of action to specify what the test result data means and how to treat the individual. Many active and former U.S. military firefighters have stated they have some respiratory problems. Could it be from PFAS exposure considering the elevated levels of PSHxS being seen on their blood tests?
Ask any researchers studying PFAS and those like me advocating for protective actions for military firefighters and veterans, and all will say the same thing, PFAS is considered “forever chemicals” meaning they remain in the human body for years, some upwards of 32-years. For some individuals, exposure to PFAS may not lead to anything. For others though, it has destroyed vital organs, destroyed their lives, and even caused some to commit suicide to escape the constant pain and suffering while waiting for relief from the DoD and or the VA, two taxpayer-funded federal organizations who admitted during a recent Congressional hearing, they are not researching the impact of PFAS in military personnel, let alone firefighters. By the way, I was scheduled to testify on behalf of military firefighters and was removed without any explanation as to why. Could it have been that I was planning to uncover how the DoD, the USAF, and the VA continue to refuse to support veterans, military firefighters, their families, and the public exposed to toxic AFFF and PFAS? Click this link to watch the hearing https://appropriations.house.gov/events/hearings/remediation-and-impact-of-pfas. Fortunately, Ms. Erin Brockovich and Doctor Jamie DeWitt who replaced me gave a solid testimony on PFAS.
When I first truly learned about PFAS in 2020, I thought I was just imagining my exposure and what I had heard. But then I began to hear similar stories from individuals I had never met; echoing what I had been saying to myself for years, told AFFF was just soap and water. It was at that moment; I knew there was something aloof.
After reaching out to those with similar experiences, I learned many are dealing with cancer or other medical illness. Their families are sick, they are scared and yet, they are not being told anything from the military, the Veterans Affairs, or their local, state, or federal representatives. For me personally, I have not been diagnosed with cancer and I have yet to get a PFAS blood test because veterans like myself were not included in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to have our blood tested. Rather, if we want a PFAS blood test like what Active-Duty U.S. firefighters are receiving, we must pay for it out of pocket to the tune of $700.00 because Tricare, the insurance for many veterans, does not cover the cost.
Every time I speak to firefighters, reporters, friends, and family, I repeat the same words, “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when, when will my doctor tell me I have cancer because of PFAS exposure?” I have been diagnosed with increased cholesterol, diabetes, and neuropathy to name a few conditions. Yet, despite mounds of independent medical research suggesting otherwise, the military remains steadfast that AFFF and PFAS exposure was or is not the cause of those conditions.
We as firefighters, no matter if military or municipal, did not ask to be sick. We simply want to serve our country, our communities, protect lives, and then retire to live out our days enjoying life with our families and friends. But for many, that is never going to happen.
Between my own research and what I have been provided, I learned that every military installation I was assigned to has elevated levels of PFAS in ground or drinking water. They are not my levels, they are not EWG’s levels, the data comes directly from the DoD or the military installation itself. In fact, my last assignment at Langley Air Force Base, surrounded by Hampton, Virginia, recently reported 2.2M parts-per-trillion of PFAS contamination in on-base groundwater, the same water that flows into the Back River adjacent to Langley where on any given day, one can observe individuals placing crab pots in the water or fishing near the shore. That seafood, very likely contaminated with PFAS, is often sold at a local seafood market to unsuspecting customers.
The amount of PFAS contamination just in the ground at Langley Air Force base is equivalent to 53 million Olympic-sized swimming pools being polluted. One single drop of PFAS pollutant contaminates 24 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established a Lifetime Health Advisory (HA) of 70 parts per trillion for PFAS. Langley Air Force Base, USAF, or DoD officials have yet to publicly acknowledged the amount of contamination and state what the health risks are to those living on or near the installation.
Today, aside from being a volunteer firefighter/EMT, fire instructor, and FPES consultant, I am an advocate for firefighter health and safety, an advocate for eliminating fluorinated firefighting foam, and an advocate for eliminating PFAS in firefighter turnout gear as well as other products. Additionally, I host a bi-weekly podcast speaking about PFAS and firefighter safety, often calling out those who are believed to have known of the hazards and risks but said nothing.
I have spoken to U.S. Congress members and or their staff, as well as local and state representatives. I have reached out to the media, but I often find, airing news stories about PFAS exposure is not something that is readily accepted. I can’t quite put my finger on why the media continues to avoid highlighting the impact AFFF and PFAS have and continues to have on military personnel and civilians within our local communities. Despite their reluctance to do so, I will continue to highlight the concern as long as I have breath in my lings and strength in my muscles to fight for my fellow veterans, emergency service provides, and the public.
As I have witnessed time and time again, military firefighters, veterans, their families are exposed to toxic AFFF and PFAS, their lives destroyed, and the DoD and or VA continues to go on, occasionally giving a statement claiming they are working on the issue, taking public comments and concerns under advisement, but it is nothing more than lip-service really. It is as if our military veterans, firefighters, their families are victims of circumstance, often being told they signed up knowing the risks of the job, but that is a lie.
Fortunately, public pressure has forced U.S. Congress and the DoD to acknowledge that AFFF is harmful, toxic and that a need for a much safer firefighting foam is necessary. Had the evidence the DoD kept secret for decades not been found and published, I honestly do not believe the public would be aware of the massive amounts of pollution in their communities and water sources today. I fear those who were watching and waiting to see what happens to the test subjects, those being contaminated, would still be compiling data in secret, not that they still aren’t.
For those exposed to PFAS through contaminated drinking water, nobody told them of the risks, rather they were left to drink the water, become sick, and for some, die without even knowing the source of contamination. Yet, the DoD likely knew and remained silent as if watching to see what happens, like watching mice in a laboratory. Are we as innocent citizens simply thought of by the U.S. government as laboratory specimens being secretly tested and studied to determine how exposure to the thousands of man-made toxic chemicals impacts our bodies, only to be told, it is just in our imagination, that we are not sick? If that is the case, I would encourage the DoD, the VA, and members of U.S. Congress to personally meet with the thousands of sick and dying veterans, firefighters, and their family members simply looking for an apology to start and then be treated like a human being rather than a lab rat.
Many of my fellow firefighters have told me, firefighting foam manufacturers, the DoD, the VA will look you in the face and state PFAS in your blood is normal and that they have nothing to worry about. Yet, research has found that elevated levels of PFAS are linked to cancer or other medical illnesses. Aside from being found in AFFF, PFAS has been found in firefighter turnout gear thanks in large part to Diane Cotter whose husband Paul, a former firefighter, was diagnosed with cancer due to what is believed repeated exposure to structural firefighter turnout gear containing PFAS.
I encourage readers to conduct research on AFFF and PFAS, learn the facts. In addition, local, state, and federal legislators must be bombarded with requests to introduce and pass legislation not only prohibiting PFAS but introduce legislation to provide exposed firefighters and their families medical treatment and care. If U.S. Congress will not legislate prohibiting PFAS, then at the very least, the EPA must create enforceable regulations regarding the manufacture, storage, use, and disposal of toxic PFAS. Simply creating a HA of 70 ppt does nothing if it is not enforceable. That is like posting a speed limit on the highway and letting drivers exceed the speed without being cited by law enforcement.
I just want to make one thing crystal clear, I don’t fault those who were telling me directly that AFFF was “soap and water” simply because I don’t believe they knew just how harmful and toxic AFFF was either. I believe they were deceived just as much as the rest of us were. I do believe that someone over them knew and it’s those individuals, some who have long passed away and can’t be held accountable were or are responsible for the mess that exists today, a mess so substantial, it is estimated that PFAS remediation costs alone are estimated to be in the billions. Imagine how much more cost to the innocent taxpayer it would be if medical care were or is provided to those exposed to AFFF and PFAS. The cost could be in the Trillions easily. Such a large amount to deal with “soap and water”.
My work on PFAS as well as links to my podcast, AFSO21 Radio, The Weekend Wrap-up can be found on social media and my website at www.afso21.com
