3 I n 2014, a Safety & Health Investment Projects (SHIP) grant project was awarded to the Kent Fire Department to establish a manual on the “Best Practices for Reducing Fire Fighter Risk of Exposures to Carcinogens.” The Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF) provided the technical panel with members from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) locally across the state of Washington. This technical panel searched fire service agencies across the state, the country and the world to identify the current practices that will, to the greatest extent possible, reduce the risk of exposures to carcinogens for fire fighting activities. The Kent Fire Department and the WSCFF jointly applied to the State of Washington Labor & Industries Safety & Health Investment Projects (SHIP). A best practice is a method or technique that identifies a standard way of doing something that multiple organizations can use and adopt. A best practice can, and will, evolve to become better as improvements are discovered. Today, structural hood manufacturers are designing prototypes that will help reduce dermal absorption. An AFG-funded research project is currently underway to address fire fighter personal protective equipment (PPE) cleaning validation. The University of Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) has received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to continue its research on fire fighting exposures to occupational cardiovascular and chemical risks. In 2016, the University of Washington hopes to validate this best practices manual by testing the efficacy of methods identified within through another SHIP grant. This topic will be revisited periodically to identify the next practices that will continue to reduce fire fighter exposures to carcinogens. This document is organized in the format of the Incident Management System (IMS) with Finance, Command, Planning, Operations and Logistics sections. While not every fire department will have the capability or the budget capacity to implement these practices, this document refers to the best practices that have been identified to reduce exposures to carcinogens in the hopes of propagating potential change. “If I had any advice for you, (it) is to pay as close attention to your body as you can. Even the tiniest bump could prove to be much worse than you ever could imagine it would be. When you do get that unfortunate news, go straight away to the best people in the area… This program can absolutely save your life.” Donovan Eckhardt, Renton Fire and Emergency Services Department Fire Fighter, passed August 24, 2015 after a two-year battle with squamous cell carcinoma. A best practice is a method or technique that identifies a standard way of doing something that multiple organizations can use and adopt.