Firefighters are more likely to develop cancer than the rest of the population because they have to deal with so many health risks on the job.
They are more likely to develop cancer - with a 14% increased risk of mortality, which is why cancer is the number one killer of civilian and military firefighters.
The use of AFFF, a type of firefighting foam containing dangerous chemicals such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (also known as PFAS), is one of the contributing factors to these cruel statistics. Exposure to PFAS has been often linked to a variety of malignant diseases, including kidney disease, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer.
The Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) is a non-profit organization that has been providing support and individual mentorship to thousands of cancer victims and their families since 2005. Additionally, FCSN provides comprehensive firefighter education and prevention training across the U.S.
FCSN staff provides cancer-specific data on firefighting personnel, including the most prominent types of cancer, demographic data, geographic incidence data, and other pertinent information. Additionally, FCSN collaborates with a wide range of leading cancer specialists, researchers, and institutions to collect and disseminate data on the incidence of cancer among firefighting personnel.
The San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation (SFFCPF) is dedicated to the prevention of cancer, the early detection of cancer, and the provision of advanced care to active and retired SFFCPF members and their families. The Foundation educates firemen on the potential risks associated with cancer, offers free cancer screening, and assists families in the initial stages of post-diagnosis care.
SFFCPF engages in a variety of activities, such as:
The Firefighter Cancer Foundation was founded in 2004 to offer global outreach, assistance, and resources to those affected by cancer, including members of the fire service and their families. The Foundation is developing cutting-edge cancer education programs, research, and prevention initiatives to improve the lives and retirement years of firefighters worldwide.
The Friends of Firefighters is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing independent, non-discriminatory, and cost-effective mental health counseling as well as wellness services for active and retired New York City Fire Department personnel and their families. The organization offers a range of complimentary programs and services that link active and retired firefighters to mental health and well-being services
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is a multi-disciplinary cancer center located in South Florida, part of the University of Miami Health System. Its mission is to provide the highest quality of cancer care through the expertise of its 2,400+ physicians, researchers, and staff, who collaborate to identify, develop, and provide world-leading cancer care for specific types of cancers.
One of the center's mission statements is to reduce the human burden of cancer, and its experts provide a wealth of data and programs to empower the community to make lifestyle changes that reduce risk and promote health. Sylvester is South Florida's only cancer center designated by the NCI and provides access to the latest clinical trials and innovative therapies.
Launched in 2015, the center's Firefighter Cancer Initiative's main objectives are to better document and understand the burden of excess cancer among Florida's firemen and to identify new risk reduction strategies. Led by a complex team of scientists and health and safety professionals, the initiative leverages community-led approaches to ensure that firefighters' stories and experiences are reflected across every stage of program development.
The Public Safety Personnel Retirement System was created in 1968 with the purpose of providing a unified, uniform, and equitable state-level retirement plan for Arizona's public safety personnel. The PSPRS offers retirement benefits and services to approximately 60,000 current and former active members, and retirees, as well as to over 300 employer groups across the state.
The PSPRS Cancer Insurance Program pays active and eligible retired firemen for cancer diagnoses and reimbursements for treatment-related costs. The program distributes approximately $1.8 million in claims and reimbursements annually.
Each year, the Cancer Insurance Program (CIP) members and retired personnel who meet the criteria, are eligible to receive discounted premiums or reimbursement for their on-the-go expenses for:
If you're a retired member of the military, you can get medical care through TRICARE. TRICARE is the U.S. military health care program, and it's the only one that covers uniformed service members and retirees and their families.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Military Center is located at Fort Gordon, Augusta, GA, and focuses on military readiness through ongoing medical education and multi-disciplinary care to provide consistent, quality, patient-oriented healthcare services to soldiers, their families, and retirees.
The Hematology/Oncology Clinic provides comprehensive care to EAMC's recipients in a multi-disciplinary manner to meet the diverse needs of patients. Patient requirements include elaborate consultations with a range of services, including board-certified physicians, as well as specialized nursing and nutrition services.
Services provided:
Rock Springs is a full-service behavioral health hospital in Georgetown, TX, which is part of the Austin metropolitan area.
Their programs provide caring treatment for both adolescents and adults. Additionally, they provide specialized services to active-duty military personnel, veterans, emergency medical personnel, and other high-risk frontline personnel.
Programs consist of inpatient mental health and addiction treatment, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), partial hospitalization programs (PHP), and Help for Heroes - a specialized treatment program for the mental and substance use of active duty or former service members.
Madigan Army Medical Center is the second-largest medical treatment facility in the U.S., providing care to more than one hundred thousand active duty service members and their families, as well as retirees. It is located on the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and it is part of a network of military medical facilities in Washington and California. Founded in 1944 as an emergency hospital for war veterans, Madigan is now a full-service, tertiary-care medical center providing a broad range of medical services including general medical and surgery, patient-focused adult and pediatric Primary-Care, a 24/7 emergency room, specialty clinics, and Behavioral Health and Wellness.
Madigan holds approximately 200 beds dedicated to inpatient care, with the capacity to expand and accommodate over 300 inpatients in emergency episodes. Outpatients can be seen at the hospital's mall complex, which handles nearly one million outpatient visits per year.
When a patient is diagnosed with a malignant disease or some benign conditions at Madigan, they will be referred to the Cancer Care Program by their Primary Care Manager, who will assign them to a cancer care team that specializes in the type of cancer they have.
The Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center is a healthcare system comprised of nearly one hundred buildings spanning an area of 3,577 million square feet. It is situated at Fort Cavazos, Texas, and serves approximately 100,000 TRICARE prime beneficiaries, including active duty, retired, and family members. The medical system offers primary care, specialty care, emergency care, and outpatient care to its patients.
The Medical Center's Cancer Program offers an integrative team approach to cancer care. The team of highly trained professional physicians and nurses plan every phase of the cancer treatment to provide the most up-to-date treatment for each condition.
For retired civilian and military firefighting personnel suffering from cancer or other conditions associated with PFAS exposure, it is essential to understand how they might be entitled to compensation from AFFF manufacturers.
Filing a claim on one's own can be a laborious and time-consuming process, so it is recommended to enlist the assistance of a team of qualified professionals, as is the case with Atraxia Law.
With more than 35 years of expertise in toxic exposure assessment and personal injury litigation, its team of experts can provide retired firemen who have been injured by 'forever chemicals' with a free case evaluation to assess their eligibility to file a claim.