Event Details

PFAS Remediation in a Modern Fire Service

Assistant Chief Fire Officer – Michael Tisbury AFSM will discuss the historical use of PFAS in firefighting foams in the former Metropolitan Fire Brigade. He will highlight the extent of the issues, the removal of use and the remediation of appliances and stations from PFAS contamination. Mick will discuss his representations to the United Nations and successful advocation for the ban on PFAS in firefighting foams as well as the clinical trials for reduction of PFAS levels in the system and research into exposure through leaching from turnout gear worn by firefighters and the next steps and what the future holds.

Speaker:

Michael Tisbury, AFSM Assistant Chief Fire Officer

ACFO Tisbury has served as a firefighter with the former Metropolitan Fire Brigade and current Fire Rescue Victoria for 36 years. A sought-after, global expert on PFAS remediation, ACFO Tisbury has advocated at the United Nations for an international ban on the use of PFAS in firefighting. His advocacy led to the removal of exemptions on the use of certain PFAS chemicals under the United Nations Stockholm Convention. This effectively banned the use of certain PFAS substances in firefighting for countries that are signatories to the convention. In Victoria, ACFO Tisbury has led a world-first clinical trial which found a solution to the decades-long problem of how to reduce PFAS levels in human blood.

Attendees will receive 0.2 CM Points for attending this event