SDG Month feature
Firefighters face elevated long-term health risks from toxic chemical exposure and chronic stress – risks that can be difficult to track during and after active calls.
At York University, Ebrahim Ghafar-Zadeh – researcher at the Lassonde School of Engineering and associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – is working to change this. Together with Markham Fire and Emergency Services and collaborators at the University of Calgary, he is leading the development of an innovative wearable monitoring technology designed to protect frontline responders.
The project aims to enhance firefighter health by generating real-time data to support safer protocols for first responders.
“The rate of cancer in firefighters is so high that even the federal and provincial governments have called for research related to it. This is what motivated us,” says Ghafar-Zadeh.
The wearable system will measure two key indicators through sweat: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a chemical linked to toxic exposure during fires, and cortisol, a biomarker commonly used to measure the body’s stress response.
PAHs are produced during combustion and cling to gear, skin and surrounding surfaces. They are associated with cancer and also pose an increased risk with lung and skin issues. Cortisol, meanwhile, can rise when the body is under sustained physiological strain, potentially leading to impaired decision-making, slower reaction time and fatigue while on the job.
“By monitoring these components, the firefighter can better manage their health,” says Ghafar-Zadeh. “For example, if the wearable monitor shows that PAH or stress levels are too high they will have to reduce the activity they’re partaking in so they can work safely.
“The device has multiple key components: one uses skin-worn patches that collect sweat to measure cortisol and PAHs that have been absorbed into the skin; another attaches to the outside of a firefighter’s clothing to help measure PAHs in the surrounding air.
It will be the first device built for real-time monitoring of these chemicals. Information will be recorded during activity and sent wirelessly to the fire chief, so risks are identified early.
“This information will be private, since it is related to human health. The data will be processed through an AI framework and available for fire chiefs to monitor while firefighters are in the field,” says Ghafar-Zadeh.
The project is supported by the Government of Alberta’s Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders (SPHIFR) grant and co-led alongside Professor Amir Sanati-Nezhad of University of Calgary.
Additional collaborators include Markham Fire and Emergency Services Fire Chief Chris Nearing and Deputy Chiefs Ryan Best and Robert Garland, as well as Ali Asgary and Adriano O. Solis, York University researchers and professors in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.
Markham Fire and Emergency Services will help to test the device and provide feedback on how it can be adapted to existing firefighting procedures.
York contributors are focused on the physical sensor design and its interface, while University of Calgary collaborators bring expertise on microfluidics – tiny fluidic structures that handle the liquid sweat samples and guide them to the sensing site.
The sensors have already been developed, and the current stage of the project is focused on completing trials by testing the technology with Markham firefighters.
“This stage will include analyzing results and improving the system to make it more user-friendly,” says Ghafar-Zadeh.
The team has demonstrated parts of the system to the Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response as well as Markham firefighters.
“We have received very positive feedback from the people who witnessed the demonstrations, specifically the firefighting department,” says Ghafar-Zadeh. “They are very positive about the technology.”
Ghafar-Zadeh says he hopes the work can eventually expand beyond the city and, longer-term, reach a national level.
“Our next step is to secure additional funding to expand testing and begin bringing this technology into real-world use, ideally within the next one to three years,” says Ghafar-Zadeh.
With files from Mzwandile Poncana