Podcasts

Sam Eaton (Palm Beach County, FL Local 2928 [retired]) and Chris Bator (Metro-Broward, FL Local 3080) from the Florida Firefighters Safety and Health Collaborative discuss how cancer in the fire service has impacted their departments and how this led to the creation of Firefighters Attacking the Cancer Epidemic “FACE” Teams.

Jason Burns (Fall River, MA Local 1314) and IAFF Chief Science Advisor Derek Urwin (Los Angeles County, CA Local 1014) discuss per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – a class of toxic chemicals fire fighters are exposed to. They highlight the concerns for fire fighters and the impact on departments.

Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN)’s Russ Osgood and DetecTogether’s Heather Maykel discuss how fire fighters can be their own advocate and how they can detect cancer earlier by utilizing the DetecTogether program. Russ and Heather explain some of the educational components of the training and tools to advocate for additional screenings.

Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN)’s Chief Operations Officer Joe Schumacher and the American Cancer Society (ACS) Senior Director of Field Corporate Strategy and Operations Kim Bruna highlight the cancer resources available for fire fighters through their partnerships with the IAFF. They highlight online resources, hotlines, and support services both organizations offer, and how those who are diagnosed with cancer or know someone who is diagnosed can access those resources.

Chrystal Woodcock and Captain Shawn Griffin discuss losing a husband and best friend to occupational cancer, including the impact losing a loved one has on a family and department support during a cancer diagnosis.

The IAFF Financial Corporation COO Kurt Becker and Director of Insurance Sara McMullin discuss what the IAFF Financial Corporation is, how it benefits members and what services are available, including the new cancer supplemental insurance options.

Dr. Jeff Burgess and IAFF Chief Science Advisor Derek Urwin discuss the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study, diving into the purpose of the study and what they see as the next steps.

Dan King, a cancer survivor and FCSN mentor, joins us to discuss his diagnosis and treatment and how his experiences and lessons learned led him to become an FCSN mentor.

Dr. Sara Janke and Bryan Frieders (FCSN) discuss issues female fire fighters face, behavioral health, stress and relevant research that demonstrates the need for culture changes in the fire service to reduce occupational cancer.

IAFF staff are joined by Dr. Kenny Fent and Dr. Miriam Siegel from NIOSH to discuss the National Firefighter Registry (NFR). Listen along to better understand the NFR, the legislative efforts behind creating the registry, why it was created, who can join the registry, and how the registry can be used to better understand occupational cancer in the fire service.

IAFF staff sit down with the president of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN), Bryan Frieders, to discuss the organization’s rise and structure, its mission to keep fire fighters safe, its alliance with the IAFF and the resources the FCSN provides in support of fire fighters who have received a cancer diagnosis. Bryan also explains efforts being taken by the FCSN to reduce cancer exposures in the fire service.

In this episode, IAFF staff talk with Garland, TX Local 1293 President Bill Crews and Fire Chief Mark Lee about the benefits of having a positive labor/management relationship to strengthen cancer prevention efforts and care for members when they are diagnosed.

IAFF staff are joined by Dr. Aisha Rivera from Johns Hopkins University and Racquel Segall from the IAFF’s Health and Safety Department to discuss the science around cancer in the fire service, research projects the IAFF is involved with, prevention best practices and how the IAFF can assist departments with cancer questions.