Firefighters and asbestos exposure
Firefighters can face asbestos exposure because the conditions of a fire — heat, water, structural damage and collapse — are exactly what disturbs and breaks apart asbestos-containing materials in older buildings.
Why fires release asbestos
Most Australian buildings from before the 1990s still contain asbestos, used widely between the 1940s and 1980s for its durability, fire resistance and insulation. A fire subjects those materials to heat, water, impact and structural collapse — the very things that break asbestos-cement apart and turn stable, bonded material friable, releasing fibres into the air.
So the risk isn’t only the obvious one. Long after the flames are out, disturbed and damaged ACMs can keep shedding fibres across a fire-ground.
During and after the fire
- During — heat and structural failure damage ACMs; debris and smoke can carry fibres.
- Immediately after — fibres released by the damage can circulate in the air, easily inhaled by anyone on site, including crews returning for overhaul and investigation.
- Natural disasters too — bushfires, storms and floods damage buildings on a large scale, and soon after, asbestos fibres can be widespread in the air. Friable material poses a greater risk than intact, non-friable material.
The health stakes
Like all asbestos exposure, the danger is long-term: inhaled fibres are linked to asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, and the latency period runs to decades — often 20 years or more before any symptoms appear. That delay is why fire-ground exposure is so easy to dismiss at the time.
Reducing the risk
- Assume older damaged buildings contain asbestos and treat damaged material as potentially friable.
- Test before clean-up or rebuild. After a fire or disaster, professional testing identifies what’s been disturbed so the site can be made safe before people return to work.
- Make damaged material safe. Damaged ACMs in older buildings should be encapsulated or removed by a licensed professional — friable material by a Class A removalist.
- Identify before demolition or refurbishment. Anything built before the end of 2003 should be checked, and asbestos removed where practicable, before the structure is disturbed further.
If you’re dealing with a fire- or storm-damaged property, we can test the site and arrange a licensed make-safe and removal so it’s cleared properly before the next stage.
Still not sure? Just ask.
Call 1300 019 657, 7 days a week, or book an inspection and we'll give you a clear answer.