Occupational cancer is killing firefighters

January is Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month when local fire service organizations educate firefighters about prevention and survival.

Occupational cancer is claiming the lives of more firefighters than any other cause, including fires and other on-scene incidents. The Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI), an affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) are partnering to deliver targeted education about best practices and resources to prevent and reduce cancer among firefighters during Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month in January.

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During 2024 Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month (iaff.org/cancer-awareness-month), the IAFF and FCSN will partner to deliver targeted education and best practices and resources to reduce the impact of cancer on firefighters.

This year’s Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month highlights comprehensive strategies to reduce cancer risk throughout a firefighter’s life. This includes implementing best practices in station design to limit exposures to carcinogens, emphasizing precautions during firefighting like proper equipment use and designated decontamination zones. This monthlong campaign will address personal risk factors during off-duty hours such as nutrition and stress and highlight firefighter success stories to encourage awareness and engagement to end cancer in the fire service.

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“More than two-thirds of the names we added to our IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Wall last September died of job-related cancer,” said IAFF General President Edward Kelly. “Science confirms that PFAS forever chemicals are driving the alarming rate of cancer in the fire service. We must do everything we can to eliminate this threat, not just for those on the job today, but for generations of firefighters to follow. Together, the IAFF and the FCSN will do whatever it takes to keep firefighters healthy and safe.”

“Ensuring the health and well-being of firefighters is our top priority so we can keep our communities safe. We know that there needs to be further education, more assistance, and resources for firefighters when it comes to navigating an occupational cancer diagnosis,” said AFFI President Chuck Sullivan. “Working together with such dedicated groups, there is no doubt that this partnership will increase awareness and save lives.”

“Our members are being diagnosed with cancer due to on-the-job exposures. We have had the solemn duty of adding far too many of their names to the walls of our IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial,” Sullivan said. “That’s why we passed an AFFI Convention Resolution two years ago to establish January as Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month – to give our hard-working members the most up-to-date guidance and data that will allow them the opportunity to enjoy a long, safe career and a healthy retirement.”