Cancer Prevention in the Fire Service

Join us to discuss cancer prevention in the fire service for this month’s “Dealer’s Choice” episode of WFCA’s Fire Headlines Podcast with guest Jeff Griffin.

Cancer Prevention in the Fire Service

This week is the second episode of “Dealer’s Choice,” where a member of the Fire Headlines team selects a topic of their choice for discussion. Samantha is in the dealer’s seat this week and chose to continue the conversation from last week. Make sure to tune in to Episode 26, titled “Threats of Cancer in the Fire Service,” to get up to speed with our ongoing conversation.

This week we’ll be diving deeper into cancer prevention. Fire Headlines host Samantha Didion and panelist Chief Jeff Buchanan are joined by Western Fire Chief Association’s Division Secretary and International Association of Fire Chief’s Lead Division Secretary, Jeff Griffin, to hear his insights on risk management and safety as they pertain to this topic. Fire Headlines panelist Chief Bob Horton is away this week.

Early Detection

Chief Buchanan highlights the importance of preventative measures by emphasizing the value that “investment into the now” can have. He advocates for preemptive ultrasounds and full body scans that can aid in the early detection of cancer. Additionally, he stresses the importance of firefighters’ annual physicals and the need to prioritize this within a department.

Jeff Griffin acknowledges the great work done by the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) in establishing standards in the 1500 and 1582 series. These standards specify the minimum requirements for occupational safety and health programs within fire departments. He says the new standard coming out around June or July of 2024 will merge these documents into standard 1550. This new document will detail the schedule of annual physicals and blood draws in the hopes of detecting cancer in its early stages.   

Preventative Measure to Take

In addition to ensuring firefighting equipment is cleaned properly after each use, Jeff Griffin suggests that staying hydrated is another great preventative measure for firefighters to reduce the risk of cancer. In situations where firefighters are in a carcinogenic environment, drinking water can help flush the harmful substances from their system. Both Griffin and Chief Buchanan strongly recommend that firefighters take a shower as soon as they can upon returning from a scene and pay particular attention to cleaning exposed areas, such as wrist, neck, and ears.

Another preventative measure firefighters should also take is monitoring their sleep patterns. While on duty it can be difficult to get a full night’s rest, so being aware of how much sleep a firefighter is getting and finding time to make up for the lost hours of sleep can give the body the time it needs to refuel and heal.

Through data and research, the fire service is identifying the factors that pose threats to firefighters in terms of cancer and actively working to address and mitigate these risks. For example, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is fighting for the removal of PFAS from firefighter turnout gear. PFAS are a category of manufactured chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases. Visit their webpage to learn more: PFAS and Turnout Gear – IAFF

Contact Jeff Griffin: [email protected].

You can email Fire Headlines at [email protected].

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