Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Shines Spotlight on Cancer in the Fire Service

The deadly truth about cancer in the fire service will be front and center September 15 as fire fighters and paramedics from across the United States and Canada join grieving families at the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.   The names of 271 fire fighters who have died in the line of duty from trauma or occupational illness will be etched on to the granite Wall of Honor. The risk of traumatic death in the fire scene has declined over the years – in large part due to the International Association of Fire Fighters’ work to improve fire fighter safety – but the risk of death from cancer and other occupational diseases remains high, much greater than the general population. Of the 271 names being added in 2018, 211 are fire fighters who succumbed to fire service-related cancers. Of those 211, 19 died from of work-related cancers linked to toxic exposures during the response and cleanup at Ground Zero, the site of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. In addition, two of the names to be etched on the Wall of Honor are fire fighters who were diagnosed with job-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and died of suicide. The IAFF has worked to bring greater awareness to behavioral health issues in the fire service. An increasing number of states and Canadian provinces are recognizing PTSD as an occupational illness for fire fighters. “Each year we gather in ...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: News Administration and Leadership Source Type: news