After a fire, investigators charged with determining the cause of the blaze sometimes stumble on unstable surfaces, breathe in toxins, or face other health and safety risks. But they had no central place to document their exposure to hazards at work, and researchers had no central place to evaluate that data to try to mitigate those risks — until now.
This week, researchers with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center are launching an online tool that allows fire investigators to voluntarily document accidents and near misses — part of an effort to improve conditions for the first responders who are vital to public safety.
The outreach comes from the Firefighter Cancer Initiative, housed at Sylvester at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in South Florida.