Some of the bravest men and women we could possibly know live among us – they are called “first responders.” Specifically, we are referring to firefighters – those men and women who willingly put their lives on the line  to save others -many of whom they have never met and may not ever meet if it weren’t for the fire event that brought them together.

[Photo by Official U.S. Navy Imagery on Flickr via a Creative Commons license]Firefighters such as these, working on an aircraft fire, are in dangerous situations almost every day. The last thing they need is to choose between their clothes or a mosquito attack.

Many people have seen the movie “Backdraft,” or saw TV shows that depicted the bravery of firefighters who run into burning homes and save children or animals from the flames. We also know about the summer wildfire season, and those brave “hotshot” crews who travel all over the country fighting various wildfires – conflagrations that are usually hard to predict and thus more dangerous, and these men and women position themselves between the flames and any structures or key landmarks in an effort to protect them. And we then think with heavy hearts for the 19 brave  “hotshot” firfighters who were killed in a single wildfire incident in central Arizona last summer. This just reminds us that although many firefighters do return home after their shifts, fire is still very dangerous and these individuals do sacrifice themselves every day to keep the rest of us safe.

Sometimes we may think of these brave people as indestructible, and even their protective clothing as resistant to virtually everything a fire has to throw at it. Without that sense of security and safety, do you think these men and women would dare go into a burning house?

However, it turns out that some recent research has shown that there is one particular vulnerability for firefighters – at least, one that seems to render their otherwise fire-resistant clothing weak. And this may not apply to urban firefighters as much but more for those who in wildfire regions.

We all know mosquitoes are vicious pests, but did you know that firefighters may have to choose between getting mosquito bites or fighting a fire with full fire-resistance capability? Apparently it’s true, especially  in those areas where DEET is used to fend off the flying bloodsuckers.

The Missoula Technology and Development Center in Montana and Underwriters Laboratories recently concluded a test of the standard Nomex fire-resistant clothing worn by most fire firefighters – including those affiliated with the U.S. Forest Service – when various insect and mosquito repellents were applied to them. Those who fight wildfires are often coming in contact with mosquitoes during the summer months, and many firefighters have generally been asked to apply insect repellents and/or DEET for mosquitoes to their clothing and/or skin when they are on the fire lines. And it turns out, based on the result of the testing, that  DEET-based repellents are actually dangerous to firefighters’ clothing, as it seems that DEET wears away the fire-resistant materials in the firefighters’ clothes, making them more susceptible to fire damage and increasing the risk of harm to the firefighters themselves.

The results of the testing is just starting to make the rounds, and new recommendations are being handed out. First, if a firefighter is to add repellent to his or her fire-resistant clothes, it is recommended to use a more general insect repellent, as there is little or no evidence of the fire-resistant material being broken down with its application. On the other hand, those who are using DEET to repel mosquitoes are asked not to add the chemical to clothing but rather to follow the manufacturer’s instructions about applying it directly on the skin.

If you know of a firefighter, please feel free to share this information and have them look into it themselves. After all, their job is to focus on fighting fires and saving lives – they should not have to choose between taking on the flames and getting eaten by mosuitoes. Help them make the sensible choice for their safety and for the safety of others.