Pascrell, Fitzpatrick, Hoyer, and Bost Seek Fresh Support for Firefighter Cancer Registry

Continues work to grow federal cancer registry created in 2018

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressmen Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Steny Hoyer (D-MD-05), and Mike Bost (R-IL-12) today announced introduction of legislation to reauthorize the Firefighter Cancer Registry and increase to $5.5 million the authorization funding level through 2028.

Created in 2018 by legislation co-led by Congressman Pascrell, the Firefighter Cancer Registry is the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters. Companion legislation will be introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill later this week.

“Every day, thousands of firefighters suit up and put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe,” said Congressman Pascrell, the longtime co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. “These brave men and women encounter countless dangers on the job, including exposure to deadly carcinogens. Cancer is now the leading cause of death among firefighters and the federal government must have their backs. With our creation of a firefighter cancer registry, we have made important advances in keeping our heroes healthy. This legislation ensures we will continue to invest in research and cures. Healthy firefighters create safe communities.”

“Our firefighters put their lives on the line to protect our communities daily, and we owe them our full support,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “Our bipartisan Firefighter Cancer Registry Act will require the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to compile data on the relationship between fume-exposure and cancer risks so we can better develop prevention measures. I thank Congressman Pascrell and our Senate counterparts for their partnership on this important bill to support our hero firefighters.”

“As a co-chair and longtime member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and as one of the cosponsors of the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act back in 2018, I join in calling for the reauthorization of that crucial legislation in the 118th Congress,” said Congressman Hoyer. “Our firefighters put their lives in danger to ensure the safety of their neighbors and communities. Congress ought to do everything it can to understand the risks that firefighters face as they fulfill their essential mission. That includes monitoring and studying long-term threats to firefighters’ health, including cancer and other service-related conditions. The Firefighter Cancer Registry represents the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters and ensures that we have the data necessary to understand these hidden dangers and to develop new strategies to protect our firefighters. I urge all my colleagues to reauthorize this critical program and provide the CDC with the resources it needs to maintain this vital registry.”

“Cancer is a leading cause of death for firefighters across our nation, and this legislation will help monitor, research, and treat this disease,” said Congressman Bost. “As the Co-Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and a former firefighter, I know firsthand the dedication our first responders show to the communities they serve. I’m proud to join my colleagues in taking care of my first responder brothers and sisters by supporting this bill.”

“Cancer is the greatest threat fire fighters, and we must do everything we can to end the scourge of this horrible disease. The National Firefighter Cancer Registry plays an important role in our fight against cancer by helping us gather the data needed to identify trends, risk factors, and other details that guide our cancer prevention, detection, and treatment efforts. The IAFF was proud to work with Representative Pascrell and Senator Menendez in establishing the Registry several years ago, and we applaud them for their continued work to strengthen and expand this Registry. The IAFF urges Congress to reauthorize the National Firefighter Cancer Registry and ensure we have the data needed to eliminate cancer from the fire service,” said Edward A. Kelly, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

“The more than 6,000 members of the NJ FMBA celebrated when the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act was signed into law because we knew it would help save lives,” said Eddie Donnelly, President of the NJ FMBA. “While five years later we continue to lose too many of our men and women to this disease, we know that the number saved because of this law will continue to grow, and that’s a credit to the legacies of Senator Menendez and Representative Pascrell.”

“I thank Representative Pascrell for introducing this important legislation. We know that cancer is more prevalent in firefighters than in the general population. However, we need more data on the causes of cancer in the fire and emergency service and how to mitigate it. We are glad to see the National Firefighter Registry being established so that we may not only help today’s firefighters but just as important our future firefighting force. Representative Pascrell’s bill will ensure long-term funding for this important program. We urge Congress to pass this legislation,” said Fire Chief Donna Black, EFO, CFO, President and Board Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

“Firefighters face an increased risk of cancer due to the hazardous nature of their jobs, which exposes them to toxic chemicals. CFSI thanks Reps. Pascrell, Bost, Hoyer, and Fitzpatrick for introducing this bill to reauthorize the National Firefighter Registry (NFR), which is compiling vital scientific data to help researchers understand the risk of cancer to firefighters and develop prevention and treatment measures,” said Bill Webb. Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute. “We look forward to working with our Fire Caucus co-chairs to reauthorize the NFR as soon as possible.”

“Too many firefighters are contracting and dying from cancer caused by duty-related exposures. Reauthorizing this important registry will improve our understanding why firefighter cancer is occurring at such a high rate and make it easier to prevent, detect, and treat,” said Steve Hirsch, Chair of the National Volunteer Fire Council.

Created by Congress in 2018, the Firefighter Cancer Registry is maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor and study the relationship between career-long exposure to dangerous fumes and toxins and the incidence of cancer in firefighters so to develop better protective gear and prevention techniques.

In 2015, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a multi-year study which found that firefighters are 9% more likely to develop cancer and 14% more likely to die from cancer relative to the general population. Last year, cancer was the leading cause of death among firefighters, accounting for 74% of line of duty deaths according to the International Association of Fire Fighters.

On July 9, 2018, legislation sponsored by Rep. Pascrell and Sen. Menendez creating a firefighter cancer registry for the first time was signed into law. Their bill required the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to create a national cancer registry for firefighters to monitor and study the relationship between career-long exposure to dangerous fumes and toxins and the incidence of cancer in firefighters so to develop better protective gear and prevention techniques. Rep. Pascrell and Sen. Menendez first announced the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act in May 2016 during a news conference at Clifton, New Jersey Fire Station 5, where they were joined by dozens of firefighters, including retired Haddon Heights Fire Chief Gene Dannenfelster, who later lost his battle with cancer.

The spring, Reps. Pascrell and Carlos Giménez (R-FL-28) introduced the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act (H.R. 1719), legislation to ensure firefighters, police, and EMS personnel who die or become disabled due to occupational cancer receive presumptive benefits under the PSOB program. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) lead the legislation in the Senate.

The PSOB program provides a one-time federal death and disability benefit payment of $422,035 to first responders who die or are permanently disabled in the line of duty and monthly education assistance of $1,401 for their children or spouse. While medical conditions like heart attacks, strokes, and COVID-19 are presumed to be line of duty deaths for the purposes of PSOB, occupational cancer is not.

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