"We've known that firefighting and cancer has been a problem for a very long time."
The fact that firefighters have an increased risk of several types of cancer over the general public, isn't all that surprising.
#Firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population #FFCancerMonth #FightFFCancer https://t.co/oLIi8dGWIB
— FCSN National Official Page (@FCSNnational) January 7, 2021
Bryan Frieders, the President and CEO of the Firefighters Cancer Support Network says the organization's been on an educational campaign since they released a 'white paper' in 2013, detailing some of the research into firefighters and cancer rates.
"That [white paper] sort of made us understand a little bit more of what the issue was so that we can make some changes in the fire service globally to try to minimize the risk of cancer amongst firefighters," he says.
Recommended changes included addressing equipment issues, safety practices during and after fire calls, and changing how often equipment is cleaned and replaced.
"We're exposed to more than 265 known carcinogens, just in an ordinary house fire."
"In addition to that," Frieders tells WMAR-2 News, "firefighter health and safety and health and wellness has been at the forefront of most Career and volunteer fire departments minds."
What the FCSN wants to see happen - is more regular screening for cancer in firefighters - and earlier.
He gave us an example of the differences recommended for colon cancer.
For more resources, you can visit The Firefighter Cancer Support Network here.
