Jan. 24, 2023 People joining the virtual event at 2 p.m. Wednesday will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Source Firehouse.com News
While January has been Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, the effort to educate firefighters about the deadly disease and how they can minimize the risk is ongoing.
The National Volunteer Fire Council is hosting a panel discussion at 2 p.m. Wednesday with subject matter experts to provide an update on the issues.
People can register for the Zoom call or it will be streamed live on the NVFC Facebook Page.
Recent statistics show cancer is the leading cause of deaths of firefighters.
Among those participating on the panel include Brian McQueen, NVFC board member and co-author of the Lavender Ribbon Report; Joe Schumacher, chief operations officer of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network; Rick Markley, former editor-in-chief of FireRescue1 and advocate for the National Firefighter Registry; and Racquel Cesnalis, deputy director of the Health, Safety & Medicine Division of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
“We are hoping people will actively participate, and ask questions,” said Kimberly Quiros, NVFC chief of communications.
Information about the CDC’s new National Firefighter Registry program will be shared.
“We need volunteers to register so we can truly understand the depth of the problem,” she said.
In addition to information about the types of cancers that firefighters often face, the panelists will offer actions that people and departments can take to reduce the risks.