New program hopes to get Colorado firefighters to enroll in cancer registry
Colorado firefighters are being asked to take part in an effort to reduce cancer in their profession. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a cancer registry and wants all firefighters to enroll online.
Cancer is the leading cause of occupational deaths among firefighters, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters. At the organization's Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial last year, almost 75% of the firefighters whose names were added to the wall (348 out of 469) died from occupational cancer.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about why I do this," said Adams County firefighter Mark Livingston.
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In 2015, Livingston lost his fire academy buddy, Craig Moilanen, to cancer. Two years later, his fellow Adams County firefighter and mentor, Brett Anderson, also died of cancer.
"Those moments lead me into trying to expand our knowledge in what cancer meant in the fire service," Livingston said.
Livingston is now the director of Colorado's Firefighter Cancer Support Network.
"When a firefighter gets cancer in the state of Colorado, they contact me. I make contact with the individual and then I kinda get an idea of what kind of cancer do they have? What are their needs?" Livingston said.
He works to match the firefighter with a mentor who has had the same type of cancer. Sadly, there are plenty to choose from. Research has shown that firefighters' exposure to smoke and hazardous chemicals increases their risk of cancer.
"Inside of smoke there's a lot of different chemicals," Livingston said. "Some of them are clear, some of them are smoky, all of them we're being exposed to. Whether it's absorbed through our skin, we're breathing it while doing overhaul, or we're just bringing it back to our firehouse and living in our atmosphere with it."
But now, there's a new way to track those exposures, and the health impacts for firefighters down the line: the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer.
"You get on there you log in, you're able to put some demographics about yourself, and then what you're able to do is kinda start to track some of your exposures," Livingston said. He registered as soon as the NFR was launched. It's something he's been waiting for for years.
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The data will be used to improve cancer research and safety practices for firefighters.
"What this does is it allows for that information to be compiled quicker and be better for presumption, legislation, things like that ," Livingston said.
Livingston says it's an opportunity to give firefighters a voice, and protect future generations.
"You think about Craig Moilanen and his family, and all the firefighters we've done their funerals, and you say like maybe this would have helped their doctors," Livingston said.
All firefighters, whether current or former, and whether or not they've had cancer are asked to join the registry. You can find the registry at https://nfr.cdc.gov.