Occupational cancer is a burgeoning issue for the fire service, and for many fire departments, figuring out how to address the disease has become an organizational priority. With that task come multiple questions. What do we know about how is it caused? How can we prevent it? How do we support our members after a cancer diagnosis? And most profoundly, where do we find answers to these and all our other questions?
That search for answers drew more than 500 attendees from across the United States, Canada, and Europe to last month’s Fire Service Occupational Cancer Symposium in Phoenix. They came to hear the latest in research, prevention strategies, best practices, and support policies and procedures from the nation’s leading experts. Attendees represented a broad cross section of volunteer, career, and combination departments, as well as training agencies, constituency organizations, related manufacturers, workers’ compensation insurance providers, state and local governments, and federal agencies. Others came on their own, but all had a common interest in learning how they can make an impact in addressing fire service occupational cancers.
No matter the size of the organization they represented, attendees felt that it was time well spent, and they could take home actionable information. Philadelphia Deputy Commissioner Tony Sneidar said he “realized from attending the Symposium that we will not be reinventing the wheel and there are many out there who will willingly provide direction, guidance and support as we prepare to enhance our training, health and safety, apparatus and equipment to address this titanic issue within the department.” On the other end of the spectrum, Everyone Goes Home Advocate Lisa Burton of Maine works primarily with small, volunteer organizations. “I returned home filled with new ideas to incorporate into my region,” she says. “I returned home wholly encouraged, knowing that fire service members from across the nation have committed to work together to solve this growing problem.”
Some at the Symposium had a personal interest in the subject — approximately one in eight attendees was a cancer survivor, including Alex Mengell of Oakland, California, who was there representing IAFF Local #55. In May of 2016, after an MRI for an unrelated condition, Mengell was diagnosed with an astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer. Since then he has undergone surgery, a treatment series of 42 rounds of radiation accompanied by low dose chemotherapy, and is still in the middle of high dose chemotherapy treatment. Yet, he remains optimistic and considers himself fortunate. “Anyone diagnosed with cancer knows it is more than life changing,” he states. “I consider myself incredibly lucky, not that I have brain cancer but with the changes I have made. Changes in my lifestyle, spending even more time with my two boys and my beautiful loving wife, also diet, attitude, outlook, and much more.” He also points out the power of peer support, and that he “would love to be a mentor to any firefighter going through any diagnosis.”
Vickie Quint also attended for personal reasons. As the widow of a Wisconsin fire chief who died in 2016, she is fighting to have her husband recognized as a line-of-duty fatality. Mrs. Quint came to the Symposium hoping to both learn what she could about presumptive legislation and proving causality, and to advocate for departments taking an active role in cancer prevention. She found the connections and networking to be invaluable, and described the event as “empowering,” “uplifting,” and “enlightening.” As with many attendees, what drew her to the event was that it was a unique opportunity to see the nation’s eminent cancer researchers present their findings. “So many of the speakers were names and works I have cited in my research. To see and hear them in person was a gift. “
The Symposium was coordinated by the Fire Service Occupational Cancer Alliance (FSOCA), a national collaboration of fire service leaders, constituency organization representatives, occupational medicine practitioners, manufacturers, and others with a vested interest in the subject. The FSOCA was the result of a 2014 Firefighter Life Safety Summit (TAMPA2) recommendation that the fire service address occupational diseases, especially cancer, as a priority for the fire service over the next decade. Over the next year, the Alliance will continue to work on multiple projects addressing occupational cancer, including roll out of the Fire Service Occupational Cancer Tool Kit, development of related videos and trainings, and advocacy for the firefighter cancer registry that is now before Congress.
Since its inception, the Alliance has been facilitated by Chief Dennis Compton, Board Chair for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), and supported by that organization. As part of Chief Compton’s vision, leadership of the FSOCA is transitioning, and will now be jointly overseen by the NFFF and its affiliate, the First Responder Center for Excellence for Prevention of Occupational Diseases, Injuries, and Deaths. NFFF Managing Director Victor Stagnaro and Ed Klima, Managing Director for the First Responder Center will serve as co-facilitators.
