CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga (WSAV) -- January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, and the Chatham County Fire Department is making sure its crew is protected, with a new look. News 3 spoke to Deputy Chief Keith Harden about the new fire gear the department received. “We go to a fire, especially in today's times, with all the carcinogens," Hardin explained. "It allows the firefighter to take that gear off and still have a second set of gear to perform their job.” The department said statistics show that in 2024, nearly 75% of firefighter deaths nationwide were the result of occupational cancer, and the new uniform will help that. “We are telling them to make sure they take the gear off after every fire and make sure that we actually carry wipes now that are specifically for that, very similar to a baby wipe, to wipe themselves down and clean when you get back to the stations,” Hardin explained. “Make sure they get showers to get all those pathogens washed off.” The new set of equipment costs the county $7,000 per firefighter, but they say it is worth it because there is no price on a firefighter’s life. “As it stands right now, that we're steadily looking into different ideas, we have special fire trucks now that are being built with compartments to actually keep those carcinogens contaminated, keeping those away from the firefighters, from being exposed to it unnecessarily,” said Hardin.