STUDY FAILS TO ESTABLISH LINK BETWEEN CANCER AND FIRE FIGHTING was the attention grabbing April 16 press release from the National League of Cities. The angry response from both the IAFF and IAFC was fueled by this statement:

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“While we depend on firefighters for the critical role they play in the safety of our cities and towns, we must evaluate this issue objectively and scientifically,” said Donald J. Borut, executive director of the National League of Cities. He continued, “This study demonstrates the need for more high-level research into cancer and firefighters.

States should not pass laws requiring cities to take on difficult financial burdens with no clear scientific connection between illness and occupation.

We suggest that all involved – legislators, governors, cities and firefighters – review this report and consider its findings as they discuss this difficult issue.”
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press release HERE The press release includes a link to the Tri-Data Report.

UNDERMINING A LONG MARCH TO PRESUMPTION

IAFF General President Harold A. Schaitberger articulated his anger at Tri-Data as he condemned the NLC funded report while speaking at FDIC last month. As a founding member of Fairfax County IAFF Local 2068, he has first-hand knowledge of the political difficulty in establishing presumptive legislation in a right-to-work state.

Three decades ago a Fairfax County battalion chief suffered a massive myocardial infarction in hour 11 of his 14 hour shift. The Virginia Workman's Compensation Board denied the claim because the chief was not working at an active emergency incident when the chest pains started.

About two years later, Alexandria City Fire Chief Charles Rule established a regulation prohibiting on and OFF duty smoking by newly hired firefighters. An employee would be terminated if found to be smoking off duty, even on vacation. Chief Rule established this rule in a frustrated reaction to state worker comp denials for cancers and respiratory problems that he knew were related to fire fighting activities.

Chief Rule told me he anticipated that the regulation would be removed by court order in a year. Instead, it became a building block for the successful establishment of firefighter heart-lung-cancer presumptive legislation in Virginia.

The battle never ends. State legislators try to eliminate, dismantle or reduce the scope of the firefighter presumptive legislation every year. The state professional firefighter's association has to have a representative at every legislative session.

The NLC report provides additional ammunition to undo years of hard-fought efforts.

PEER REVIEWED RESEARCH

Before moving into academia, I assumed that all scientific articles posted in peer-reviewed professional journals were at the highest level of accuracy and transparent in process. After taking an "Evidence-Based Medicine" graduate course, I appreciate that the devil is in the details of each study. Learned that the quality of statistics and analysis is variable.

Tri-Data does not have expertise in occupational medicine or evaluating clinical research. The International Association of Fire Chiefs established a review panel of superiorly qualified professionals in epidemiology, medical research, statistics, and firefighter health/safety. Their analysis provides the science behind the assertion that the NLC report used tobacco industry techniques to diminish the link between the firefighter occupation and cancer rates. read report HERE

THE MISSING ESSENTIAL RESOURCE

One of NLC findings identifies a glaring gap. Canada, New Zealand, Australia and some European countries have a national Firefighter Cancer Registry. While the IAFF started one for it's members in 2007, now is the time to establish a national cancer registry for firefighters.

IAFF members need to go to the Wellness and Fitness Initiative section of the website and have those with a cancer diagnosis complete the form: http://www.iaff.org/hs/wfi/default.asp

A national firefighter cancer database addresses many of the issues brought up in the NLC report about terminology, definitions and description of the cancer exposure of firefighters. Determining who pays for the treatment and the process to get covered will remain a volatile political activity.

Visit the Firefighter Cancer Support Network