VIDEO/PHOTOS: California firefighters are collaborating with University of California researchers in a groundbreaking cancer study, funded by nearly $10 million from CAL FIRE. The project will track 3,500 firefighters across the state over the next two years. Researchers from UCLA and UC Davis will examine how on-the-job exposures, particularly during major wildfires, may increase cancer risk.
The initiative is guided by a firefighter advisory board and aims to develop better prevention and protection strategies for those on the front lines. “That’s one of the inherent dangers of firefighting and getting into this profession,” said Dan Collins, the public information officer for CAL FIRE in Butte County. “Is the exposures that we have, the carcinogens on a daily basis, not only wildfire fires and structure fire smoke but also diesel particulates.”
Collins said he has known workers who have survived and a couple who have passed away from on-the-job cancer. Over the past 15 years, he has observed a shift in fire service culture towards cancer prevention, from more protective equipment to breathing apparatuses. Science and data are helping firefighters prevent the cancer risks associated with the job.
