Firefighter health and safety is a hot topic during Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, January 2024.
It’s a key time for British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters Association (BCPFFA) to educate its 4,500-plus member firefighters about prevention and survival strategies.
Firefighters are at a higher risk of getting cancer than they are from fires and other on-scene incidents.
BCPFFA president Todd Schierling is among those concerned about the increasing number of cancer diagnoses among members due to on-the-job exposures, and he’s urging the provincial government to take further action.
“We are committed to providing our firefighters with the best information and resources to ensure their safety and well-being,” said Schierling, a North Delta resident.
“We urge the government to require employers to institute prevention programs, including cancer screening for firefighters,” he added. “Swift diagnosis and treatment are vital in preventing firefighter fatalities, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to their health. Let us work tirelessly to safeguard our firefighters’ well-being.”
During FireFighter Cancer Awareness Month, the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) and Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) provides education and resources to help reduce cancer among firefighters.
The focus is on minimizing cancer risk throughout a firefighter’s career, including implementing best-practices in station design to reduce exposure to cancer-causing substances, promoting safety protocols during firefighting operations and addressing personal risk factors, such as nutrition and stress during off-duty hours.
In June 2023, federal Bill C-224 became law, establishing a national framework to prevent and treat cancers linked to fire fighting. This helps IAFF affiliates advance occupational cancer coverage and support for fire fighters, according to the BCPFFA.
In March, leaders of the BCPFFA will meet in Victoria during the Robert E. Hall Legislative Conference to lobby the provincial government on issues important to firefighters and their families.
B.C. ranks fourth in Canada with 18 cancers recognized by the BC Workers Compensation Act including bladder, brain, breast, colorectal, esophageal, kidney, leukemia, lung, multiple myeloma non-hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate, testicular, ureter, pancreatic, thyroid, penile, cervical and ovarian.
The BCPFFA says it will seek to enhance presumptive cancer coverage under the BC Workers Compensation Act to align with the rest of the country and amend some cumulative periods of various cancers.
With early detection, treatment can occur early, before it is too late.
“The government can recognize the cancer risk for all members and prevent more names from being added to the Line of Duty Death (LODD) list of the BCPFFA Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial,” Schierling said.
According to the LODD database, of the 177 deaths reported in B.C., 108 of those firefighters (61 per cent) succumbed to recognized occupational cancers.
Established in 1929, the BCPFFA is an affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). The BCPFFA includes 55 IAFF locals representing more than 4,500 firefighters, dispatchers, prevention officers and support members in B.C. and Yukon.