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From the CSFA Health, Wellness and Benefits Committee
January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. Each January, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) provide tools and guidance for cancer prevention and support for firefighters with a cancer diagnosis, organized into weekly themes and lessons.
In addition to participating in the weekly safety stand downs this month, firefighters can do one significant thing to help understand and prevent firefighter cancer – join the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer at NFR.cdc.gov.
Registration is now open to all firefighters in the United States – whether paid or volunteer, active or retired, with or without cancer, and no matter their length of service. It only takes 5 minutes to get started. Participation is voluntary.
NIOSH has just released a Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month Toolkit with materials to help spread the word about the NFR for Cancer during this important time, including:
The NFR is the only national database that monitors cancer in U.S. firefighters. This is a long-term project led by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that will make it possible to investigate the link between firefighting and cancer over time.
Since its launch in April 2023, nearly 10,000 firefighters have registered in the NFR. NIOSH hopes this number will continue to grow so that the dataset in the NFR will reflect the diversity of our nation’s firefighters. The goal is to collect information from a large and diverse population, with representation from previously understudied groups. This will make it possible to study cancer risk among different groups of firefighters. The more firefighters that join the NFR, the more questions we can answer about the links between firefighting and cancer.
To learn more about the NFR, visit NIOSH’s National Firefighter Registry website. You can also check out Episode 22 of the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) podcast. In this episode, the lead for the National Firefighter Registry Program at NIOSH explains the purpose and importance of the NFR, how it works, and answers some of the fire service’s frequently asked questions.
Please share the resources in the Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month Toolkit and encourage all U.S. firefighters, active or retired, no matter their length of service, to join the NFR for Cancer at NFR.cdc.gov.