The Fire Service Occupational Cancer Alliance is hosting the Fire Service Occupational Cancer Symposium in Phoenix, AZ September 7-8, 2017.
The bill would create a national cancer registry for firefighters diagnosed with this deadly disease. The creation of this registry would enable researchers to study the relationship between firefighters’ exposure to harmful fumes and toxins and the increased risk for several major cancers. In the future, this information could also allow for better protective equipment and prevention techniques to be developed.
To help the fire service move to the next step, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is sponsoring a meeting in Baltimore on September 26-28, which will explore how to develop messages that will encourage people to change behaviors. We are inviting several of the researchers who informed Heart to Heart, representatives from fire departments who support cardiovascular disease research, and some from the fire service constituent organizations who have a galvanizing influence throughout our industry.
With the number of firefighters affected by occupational cancer steadily increasing, improving education, outreach and prevention measures are imperative.
You’ve heard the advice from experts about preventing cancer: Put your face mask on when you’re going into a fire and keep it on during overhaul. Wash your hood and your turn-out gear after an incident. Shower when you return to the station. Do you do these things or do you keep your gear salty and give in to peer-pressure?
Recently, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation hosted “Heart to Heart,” a two-day conference that brought together leading researchers in the area of firefighter health and fitness, fire service leaders, physicians and advocates to discuss strategies for helping firefighters embrace a healthier lifestyle. The goal is to lose fewer firefighters each year due to heart attacks.
The fact is more than half of line-of-duty deaths are a result of a cardiac incidents every year. In 2014, 57 of the 84 line-of-duty deaths were caused by heart attacks. And the number of firefighters dying each year from cancer is on the rise.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is meeting in Washington to spread the word and change some old habits. The men and women who risk their lives can do a lot more to save themselves from cardiovascular disease.
A growing group of U.S. firefighters are connected beyond the usual camaraderie of the fire service and the passion for their work. These are firefighters with cancer.
I am writing to you related to the “Wash-Your-Hood-Sunday” program. This program promotes what should be common sense. This simple act of washing your hood can have a significant impact on you and your families’ lives.
