Welcome 2025! 2024 was a tough year for the Mayday Monday crew. We are excited for the new year and the future.
The United States Fire Administration lists 62 firefighter line-of-duty-deaths (LODDs) for 2024. Among the 62, there were four interior firefighting deaths. Most of these U.S. fire service LODDs are due to cardiac events and vehicle accidents. One number you will not see is the number of firefighters who died as a result of occupational cancer. Unfortunately, there are too many variables in the way to be able to capture a good number. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) does, however, track career firefighters who die of cancer. According to the IAFF, in 2023, 72 percent of IAFF member LODDs were due to occupational cancer.
January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, and we here at Mayday Monday want to focus on this firefighter killer. The Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN), along with the IAFF, has developed a website “designed to engage our nation’s firefighters and their fire departments in a mass effort to prevent and reduce their risk of occupational cancer. Our curriculum contains information and tools that educate firefighters and raise awareness about why cancer cases are on the rise in the fire service and how to limit their day-to-day exposures to carcinogens.” The month has been broken down into week-by-week educational presentations and other information to emphasize the call to action. Here are links to the weekly topics:
For more information on how to reduce your exposure, Underwriters Laboratories Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI.org) has developed a training session on the topic, which you can take here.
Go log onto to your computers and get to work! The battle is real!
Tony Carroll is deputy chief of operations with the Louisa County (VA) Fire & EMS Department.
