About
The National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer is the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters. The newsletter delivers the latest news on the NFR for Cancer. Subscribe for updates on our recent milestones and upcoming activities.
Greetings from the Manager of the NFR for Cancer
I hope everyone is having a good start to the winter season. We anticipate that 2025 will be a big year for the NFR program. We are starting the year off right with some exciting news. The NFR enrollment system has been updated with some new features. Participants can now enter their current or most recent fire department in their user profile and update it at any time. This will make it easier for firefighters to provide information needed for Gold Helmet recognition. Participants can also print a certificate of completion after they complete the enrollment questionnaire.
We have also published a summary data dashboard. This dashboard provides up-to-date NFR registration trends by state, sex, race and ethnicity, fire service specialty, and more. Other data visuals may be added to this dashboard as time goes on.
For Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month in January, we have free materials you can share to help us get the word out about the NFR. Read below to learn more about these materials and how to use them.
We continue to look for ways to support firefighters and fire leadership with the enrollment process. If you are interested in receiving support or have ideas on how we can do better, please do not hesitate to reach out at NFRegistry@cdc.gov.
Kind regards,
Kenny Fent, PhD, CIH
January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month
Each January, we honor Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. It's a time to recognize the impact of occupational cancer in the fire service. This includes supporting firefighters diagnosed with cancer and advancing efforts to prevent firefighter cancer.
During this month, we ask you to share the NFR as one thing firefighters can do to help understand and ultimately reduce cancer in the fire service. It only takes 5 minutes to get started.
Our digital toolkit for Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month provides materials to help you share the NFR, including:
- Social media posts and images
- Web banners
- An email or newsletter template
- A QR code
We've also created videos you can share on social media. They emphasize how quickly firefighters can get started with their NFR registration. Please email NFRegistry@cdc.gov to learn more.
Thousands of firefighters from all 50 U.S. states have joined the NFR, and we still need more to join to reach our goal of 200,000+ U.S. firefighters enrolled.
We appreciate your continued support and the work you've done to help firefighters join. By sharing the NFR with your communities, you can make a lasting impact on the fire service.
Become a Gold Helmet Department!
The list of Gold Helmet Departments is growing! We are now up to 20 Gold Helmet Departments. Gold Helmet Departments are U.S. fire departments with at least 50% of their active firefighters OR more than 300 of their active firefighters enrolled in the NFR. Thanks to the newest Gold Helmet Departments:
- Baker County Fire Rescue, Florida
- Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, Missouri
- City of Merrill Fire & EMS, Wisconsin
- Dothan Fire Department, Alabama
- Nevada Fire Department, Iowa
- New Hanover County, North Carolina
- South Sioux City, Nebraska
- Warrensburg Fire Department, Missouri
- Chapel Volunteer Fire Department, Pennsylvania
- Westwego Volunteer Fire Department, Louisiana
- Adams County Fire Rescue, Colorado
Thank you to Chief Billy Goldfeder
The NFR would like to thank Billy Goldfeder for sharing his article on the NFR and cancer in the fire service through the Secret List. The Secret List has a very large following of firefighters from across the country.
Recent IAFF article
The IAFF recently published an article, Mythbusting the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer: 5 facts you should know. Thanks to IAFF for their continued support and outreach to their membership.
The NFR welcomes new team members
Marcus A. Flakes, MPH
Marcus Flakes first pursued a career to become a firefighter at the age of 18. He says that he has always wanted a career that involved saving lives.
In 1993, he was an active-duty member of the U.S. Navy onboard the USS Mount Hood AE-29 (ammunition and auxiliary ship). Marcus's 2-year tenure as a Deck Seaman fully prepared and trained him to become a Shipboard Firefighter.
Marcus continued his military career with 23 years of service in the U.S. Naval Reserves and Army National Guard. He's participated in emergency and disaster response throughout his military career. He is a Pro Board-Certified Hazardous Materials First Responder through Texas A&M Engineering and Extension Service and holds a Master of Public Health degree.
Matt Silliman
Matt Silliman started his firefighting career in 2003 with the Chancellor Volunteer Fire Department in Spotsylvania, VA. In 2006, he enlisted into the United States Air Force to become a firefighter. While in the Air Force for 14 years, 10 years were dedicated to firefighting. Matt holds a Master of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management.
Matt chose to become involved in the NFR because reducing cancer in the fire service is a mission he takes personally. During his time in the Air Force, he came in contact with aqueous film-forming foam and other exposures. Ensuring that information is captured so researchers can analyze data and provide ways to reduce exposure and ensuring future generations of firefighters can enjoy retirement are important to him.
Conferences and events
Micah Niemeier-Walsh and Kenny Fent gave a presentation titled "Firefighter Exposure Research at NIOSH" at the King County Fire Chiefs Leadership Summit in Washington state.
Cat Beaucham, Kenny Fent, and Rachel Zeiler attended UL Research Institutes' 2024 Annual Research Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia. Cat gave a presentation titled "Biomonitoring of Firefighters: Application During the 2023 Maui Wildfires" and Kenny participated in a panel discussion on the topic of Wildland Urban Interface Fires.
Judi Eisenberg presented on the NFR and rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) in firefighters at the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy Western Area Instructors Development Conference at Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood, Pennsylvania.
Andrea Wilkinson presented on the NFR at the FCI Volunteer Firefighter Cancer Summit in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Andrea Wilkinson and Micah Niemeier-Walsh attended the Science to the Station conference in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Andrea gave a podium presentation on the NFR. Micah won an award for their poster presentation on firefighters' potential exposures during electric vehicle fires.
Micah Niemeier-Walsh gave a presentation and participated in a panel discussion at the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center's Research Summit. The presentation and panel discussed potential hazards to emergency responders during and after lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle fires. Richard Kesler from the Fire Safety Research Institute and Christopher Myers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also participated.
