Palmerton Borough Council is applying for a grant on behalf of the Palmerton Municipal Fire Company to reduce the amount of carcinogenic materials firefighters are exposed to, both at the firehouse and at home.

Jason Behler, Palmerton fire chief, presented the department’s program, called the Palmerton Fire Department Carcinogen Awareness and Reduction to Exposure initiative, or PFD CARE, to council Thursday.

The program focuses on five areas, including investing in washing machines designed to clean firefighter equipment and installing new unisex shower stalls on the second floor of the fire station to prevent carcinogens spreading to firefighters’ homes.

The grant application is through the Local Share Account. The total cost of carrying out the PFD CARE initiative would be $229,870, including $20,000 in engineering fees for the borough of Palmerton.

To support his cause, Behler cited research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health from 2010, in which NIOSH concluded that the firefighters within the scope of their study exhibited higher rates of certain cancers than the general U.S. population.

According to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network website, the probability of firefighters being diagnosed with cancer is 9 percent higher than that of America’s general population, and firefighters have a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer.

In his presentation, Behler shed some light onto one possible component responsible, at least in part, for these increased risks.

“Fires are burning hotter, faster — a lot more deadly than they were in the past,” Behler said. “Our gear is absorbing all of this toxic gas and it’s collecting in our gear, and we’re wearing it.”

In the past, Behler said, a blackened helmet was seen as a symbol of pride — a medal for those who braved the flames. But as research has developed, so has that image.

“What we’re finding today is that a lot of the stuff that stays on our gear is actually what’s hurting us,” Behler said.

The LSA grant is a stipulation under Act 71, or the Gaming Act, which regulates 2 percent of gross terminal revenues from specific gaming facilities to fund community initiatives and maintain its well-being, as written in the LSA guidelines.

If PFD receives the grant, the funds will be regulated by the Palmerton borough.

“We have the office and the overhead that can help manage the grant,” borough Manager Rodger Danielson said.

“(PFD CARE) is an aggressive program,” he added.

After Behler spoke, Kris Hoffner, chairman of the council finance committee, commented on the fire chief’s efforts.

“We can be very fortunate with the leadership of Chief Behler as to the direction of our company — where we are now and where we are headed in the future,” he said.