QUINCY, Mass. — There was a standing ovation from the crowd at a special city council meeting in Quincy Monday night after councilors approved a $2.6 million bond to buy new gear for firefighters.
“You know what’s been awful is what the companies have done to us over the years, and I’m glad we found a company we can trust and we’re working with,” said Tom Bowes, President of the Quincy Firefighters Association Local 792.
The Fire Department discovered their current gear contains PFAS or ‘forever chemicals,’ known to elevate cancer risks, so they’ve been pushing city leaders to buy new gear that’s PFAS-free.
“Now my biggest worry is when’s the next call that a guy got sick, and we can do something about it tonight,” said Bowes.
“Every single day they leave their homes, they don’t know if they’re going home and the question about can thy get a lighter gear and a heavier gear I don’t know, what I want them to do is go home safely, I’d like my son to go home to his new bride,” said a mother of a firefighter during public comment at Monday’s meeting.
Many were emotional after a heated meeting last week after some councilors wanted to delay this vote until they had all the information about the new gear and how the city would come up with the funding.
“The audacity you guys had to postpone it one week was awful to your firefighters,” said one woman during public comment. “You look into my husband’s son’s eyes and tell him I’m sorry, your father is not worth it, he’s gonna wear the gear that causes cancer.”
The finance committee eventually agreed on a five-year bond, which will trickle down to taxpayers to buy the new fire gear.
“We have to be responsible as we sit at this chamber and make these decisions,” said Anne Mahoney, City Council president. “By no means does that mean that we’re not gonna put firefighters in the gear, it just means, and this is a finance committee meeting – it means now we’re not talking about science, now we’re talking about finance.”
But most residents agree this purchase is necessary to keep firefighters safe.
“We can’t lose fact that this gear is for the very people who would literally risk their lives for any one of us,” said one person during public comment.
Starting in January, there’s a new state law which will go into effect, which will require all fire departments to make sure their gear is PFAS-free.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
