Article by Dale Grant – Digital Media & Marketing Guru
469 names were added to the International Association of Fire Fighters’ Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial. Of those 469 men and women, 348 (nearly 75 percent) were members who had passed from occupational cancer.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) have come together to designate January as Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month. This month-long campaign will provide Fire Fighters the guidance and tools to help create life saving protocols for cancer prevention and support those within their own ranks who have been diagnosed with occupational cancer.
Each week, the NFPA has selected a different focus.
The first week will address the massive scope of this problem. Occupational Cancer is the number one line of duty death in the fire service industry. During this time, the NFPA and AIFF will go in depth into just exactly what is occupational cancer as well as the factors Fire Fighters are exposed to during the course of their career.
The second week will take a deep dive into the research around Occupational Cancer. They will also explore the screening for cancer and carcinogenic exposures.
The third week of the campaign will focus primarily on prevention, education and the best practices to avoid exposure.
The final week of January will revolve around Leadership, Survivorship and Culture Change. During this week, the NFPA and AIFF will help provide resources to assist survivors as well as information to assist with changes in organizational culture to help mitigate future risks.
Throughout the entire campaign, the NFPA and AIAA will supplement these focuses with videos, survivor stories and various other resources to help educate and spread the word.
For more information, check out FireFighterCancerSupport.org.
At Oliver Fire Protection and Security, we proudly support the Firefighting Community. We recognize that what we do is often only the first step in the fire protection process and appreciate those who put their lives on the line. Let’s all do our part in helping to keep our heroes safe!