When every minute of exposure counts
Decon-Track started with one firefighter's diagnosis, and the questions that followed about career-long exposure, toxic substances, and the time before decontamination.
Founder
Derek Doyle
Full-time firefighter · 26 years on the job
My name is Derek Doyle. I have been a full-time firefighter for 26 years. Like all firefighters, I accepted the risks of the trade. But today's reality is very different from when I first started.
We all know that fires have changed. Modern building materials, plastics, synthetic foams, coatings, textiles, and lithium batteries generate an extreme toxic load when they burn. On every call, we are exposed to invisible, persistent, and dangerous contaminants.
An invisible threat with real consequences
Research confirms what firefighters already feel on the job: cancer is increasingly recognized as an occupational disease. Across Canada, depending on the province, 8 to 19 types of cancer are recognized among firefighters. In Quebec, CNESST recognizes 16 types. In the United States, the range is 10 to 25; in Europe, depending on the country, up to 10 types.
I was recently diagnosed with skin cancer. Fortunately, surgery stopped the rapid growth of a carcinoma on my cheek near my right ear. That growth could have had deadly consequences.
That experience hit me personally, and it also forced a harder look at what we measure and what we do not.
Occupational cancers recognized among firefighters, depending on province.
Recognized occupational cancers among firefighters.
The gap on the fireground
During structure fires and high-risk calls, firefighters are exposed to toxic substances whose effects are often cumulative and silent.
Exposure time is hard to track with precision. Relief and withdrawal decisions are often made too late. Exposure history is incomplete, or does not exist at all. Long-term firefighter health is left at risk.
We recognize cancer as an occupational disease. Yet departments still lack traceable data on actual career-long exposure, and on how long members were exposed before decontamination was complete.
The questions that led to Decon-Track
- How much time has each firefighter actually been exposed throughout their career?
- What types of toxic substances were we exposed to?
- How much exposure time elapsed before decontamination?
- How will these data points help create a new safety standard to effectively minimize the health risks associated with cumulative exposure?
Decon-Track was created to answer those questions
Decon-Track is a real-time exposure and decontamination tracking application. Upon arrival at the scene, the Incident Commander activates the system as a new incident. A timer starts for every responder deployed to an exposure zone and stops only when full decontamination is confirmed.
Incident after incident, year after year, Decon-Track automatically compiles cumulative exposure time in minutes and hours. Real, traceable data, through the end of a career.
That data becomes a concrete tool for prevention, risk management, organizational accountability, and long-term health protection. When exposure to toxic materials is often invisible, Decon-Track makes it measurable and usable.
What Decon-Track makes possible
Practical tools for firefighter health and safety, with documentation that holds up for insurers, workers' compensation, and municipal leadership.
Precise individual exposure tracking
Continuous per-member exposure time with server-backed records, not reconstructed from memory after the call.
Stronger decontamination protocols
Context-aware guidance when special substances are present, supporting preventive decontamination steps on scene.
Real-time operational decisions
Command staff can see when to withdraw a member, reduce repeated overexposure, and act before thresholds are crossed.
Complete exposure history
Per firefighter, per incident, and per site. A record departments can use for reports, insurance, and medical follow-up.
Municipal decision support
City-wide visibility into exposure patterns, reassignment when thresholds are reached, and support for occupational health decisions.
Adaptable to local protocols
Each municipality can align parameters to its own operational and industrial protocols on a secure platform that continues to evolve.
The mission
Built for firefighters, by a firefighter.
We cannot eliminate every danger in this profession. But we can measure it, understand it, and reduce it.
Decon-Track started as Derek Doyle's vision from the fireground. Operators in the field shaped it, and municipal partners and the engineering team built the platform with him.