LibGuides: Cancer and the Fire Service: Home

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Resources available through the IFSI Library

Reducing the Incidence of Cancer Among Firefighters: Jacksonville’s Best Practices, Fire Engineering

Cancer is fire service's horse on the table, Fire Chief, Vol. 53, No. 5, p. 20, 22-23. by Bruce Evans In this article the author addresses the lack of discussion in the fire service about firefighting cancer risk, especially considering the rate of increase of firefighter deaths related to cancer. He recommends the gathering of statistics for cancer occurrence in the fire service, more funding from the NIH to do firefighting/cancer-related research, and an active role by fire department EMS in screening department members for cancer. Evans, B. (2009). Cancer is Fire Service's Horse on the Table. Fire Chief, 53(5), 20-23.
Call Number: Please contact the IFSI Library for the full text of this article.

Publication Date: 2009
Health, Wellness, and Readiness in the Fire Service by Jahnke, S. A., Poston, W. C., Haddock, C. K., & Jitnarin, N. Jahnke, S. A., Poston, W. C., Haddock, C. K., & Jitnarin, N. (2017). Health, Wellness, and Readiness in the Fire Service. International Fire Service Journal Of Leadership & Management, (11), 7-13.
Call Number: Please contact the IFSI Library for the full text of this article.

Publication Date: 2017

Biographies and Memoirs at the Library

Sometimes a Hero (Sometimes Not) by John Jacobson
Call Number: RC965 .J158 2017

ISBN: 1480944009

Publication Date: 2017-11-13
Believe 271... . a Story about Cancer in the Fire Service, Changing the Culture by Chief Brian McQueen
ISBN: 1619337533

Publication Date: 2016-03-17
Tumor Me by Judith DeChesere-Boyle
ISBN: 0989021750

Publication Date: 2018-02-16

Welcome!

Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Marines aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar begin to combat fires during a simulated fire exercise at the ARFF Training Pit. June 13, 2009 by Manuel F. Guerrero.

This guide was produced by the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) library to bring together resources on cancer research that are relevant to firefighters and emergency responders. On these pages, you will find links and information available at IFSI, as well as a list of relevant IFSI library items. The tabs on this guide include links to digital resources, reports, and news articles covering cancer research in the fire service, and an overview of current studies.

About the IFSI Library

The Illinois Fire Service Institute Library contains books, codes and standards, DVDs, CDs, periodicals, manuals, e-resources, audiobooks, and other fire emergency resources, totaling over 65,000 items. We serve all first responders in the state of Illinois. Materials can be requested in person, by phone or email, or online through our catalog. You can search our catalog by title, author, keyword, subject, or publisher, and choose the formats you want to see. Enter as few or as many search terms as you would like; the more search terms you use the fewer results you'll get, but the results will be more specific. If you live in Illinois and have a public library card, we can send materials to your public library via interlibrary loan. Anyone is also welcome to visit us in person!

Fire Service Cancer Research Resources at the IFSI Library

Cancer risk among firefighters : epidemiological evidence (e-resource) by Ash M Genaidy "The work carried out in this research was initiated as a result of the inquiry of the State of Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation into the extent of cancer risk among firefighters. Because there is limited information on the availability of procedures for evaluation of the methodological qualities of observational studies, the goal of Part one was to develop and test a general purpose "Epidemiological Appraisal Instrument (EAI)" for evaluating existing studies using a critical appraisal system rooted in epidemiological principles."
Publication Date: 2004
The Fire Service Cancer Toolkit by Fire Service Occupational Cancer Alliance "The goal of this site is to provide a central repository of information gathered by fire service partners, as well as the broader scientific community. [Contains] summaries and links to current research studies, specific cancer risk and cancer-related death statistics, training links, best practices guides, multimedia presentations, and state specific presumptive legislation resources"--P. 1.
Call Number: RC965.F48 .F514 2017

Publication Date: 2017
Healthy in, healthy out "This manual relates current practices that will, to the greatest extent possible, reduce the risk of exposures to carcinogens for fire fighting activities."
Call Number: RC965 .H349 2017

Publication Date: 2017
Mortality and cancer incidence in a pooled cohort of US firefighters from San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia (1950-2009), (vertical file) by Robert D. Daniels, Travis L. Kubale, James H;. Yin "Examines mortality patterns and cancer incidence in a pooled cohort of 29,993 U.S. career firefighters employed since 1950 and followed through 2009. The results of this study provide evidence of a relation between firefighting and cancer." "At head of title: OEM. ""Occup Environ Med published online October 14, 2013."" ""doi: 10.1136/oemed-2013-101662."" ""Published online October 14, 2013 in advance of the print journal."" Includes bibliographical references."
Publication Date: 2013
Underwriters Laboratories 2007 AFG literature study report, """This fire research study fills gaps identified in previous studies on fire fighters' exposure to combustion products. The study focuses on gas effluent and smoke particulates generated during residential structure and automobile fires and subsequent contact exposure resulting from residual contamination from personal protective equipment. Exposure to gas and particulates has been linked to acute and chronic effects resulting in increased fire fighter mortality and morbidity (higher risk of specific cancers and cardiovascular disease). ""This project will investigate and analyze the combustion gases and particulates generated from three scales of fires: residential structure and automobile fires; simulated real-scale fire tests; and material based small-scale fire tests. Working in collaboration with University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, the data will be reviewed to assess the potential adverse health effects of the gas effluents and smoke particles to the firefighter professional. ""This literature study was conducted to review and collect the current data and research on firefighter exposures to smoke both during suppression as well as the overhaul stages of the fire, their potential for cancer or other health problems and any other relevant research that would help guide the path of the research. The search topics covered research on overhaul, firefighter cancer, firefighter pulmonary and cardiovascular problems, smoke characterization, wildland fires, vehicle fires, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry and other topics relevant to our study.""--P. [1]."
Call Number: TH9182 .U53 2009

Publication Date: 2009
You need it like a hole in the head : firefighters and cancer : an interview with Mark Noble, 2005 ""Diagnosed with a brain tumor, firefighter Mark Noble, Olympia, Washington, studied all the information he could find about firefighters and cancer. Olympia Fire Department Chief of Operations Pat Dale arranged for Mark to sit for this interview with Ergometrics. ...The video contains important information about firefighters and cancer including specific suggestions for steps that firefighters can take to reduce their risks on-the-job""--Container."
Call Number: RC965.F48 2005

Publication Date: 2005
Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber "The revolutionary New York Times bestseller about powerful lifestyle changes that can fight and prevent cancer--an integrative approach based on the latest research An international phenomenon, Anticancer has been a long-running bestseller in the U.S. since Viking first published it in fall 2008. Now, this updated edition draws on the most recent clinical studies and offers more tips on how people living with cancer can fight it and how healthy people can prevent it. The new edition of Anticancer includes: * More benefits of anticancer foods, including new alternatives to sugar and cautions about some that are now on the market * New information about how vitamin D strengthens the immune system * Warnings about common food contaminants that have recently been proven to contribute to cancer progression * A new chapter on mind-body approaches to stress reduction, with recent studies that show how our reactions to stress can interfere with natural defenses and how friendships can support healing in ways never before understood * A groundbreaking study showing that lifestyle modification, as originally proposed in Anticancer, reduces mortality for breast cancer by an astounding 68 percent after completion of treatment * New supporting evidence for the entire Anticancer program" --publisher
Call Number: RC268 .S475 2009

ISBN: 0670021644

Publication Date: 2009-12-31

Fire Service Cancer Research Resources through the University Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The following articles can be accessed on-site at the IFSI Library. IFSI employees can access the articles remotely with the UIUC NET ID and password. Non-IFSI/UI employees will have to request copies of the articles via interlibrary loan from their home public library. If you have questions about accessing these articles, please contact the IFSI Library.

Firefighter perceptions of cancer risk: results of a qualitative study
Anderson, D. A., Harrison, T. R., Yang, F., Wendorf Muhamad, J., & Morgan, S. E. (2017). Firefighter perceptions of cancer risk: Results of a qualitative study. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 60(7), 644-650. doi:10.1002/ajim.22726
517 The firefighter multicenter cancer cohort study: framework development and testing
Burgess J, Caban-Martinez A, Fent K, et al. (2018). 517 The firefighter multicenter cancer cohort study: framework development and testing. Occupational Environ Med 2018;75:A117.
Firefighters and Cancer: Technological Offensive illuminates the Future
Dittmar, M. J. (2017). Firefighters and Cancer: Technological Offensive Illuminates the Future. Fire Engineering, 170(11), 3-8.
Resilience, culture change, and cancer risk reduction in a fire rescue organization: Clean gear as the new badge of honor
Harrison, T., Yang, F., Anderson, D., et al. (2017). Resilience, culture change, and cancer risk reduction in a fire rescue organization: Clean gear as the new badge of honor. Journal Of Contingencies And Crisis Management, 25(3), 171-181. doi:10.1111/1468-5973.12182
546 Risk of prostate cancer among firefighters: a review and meta-analysis of studies published after 2007
Mehlum I, Johannessen H, Kjærheim K, et al. (2018). 546 Risk of prostate cancer among firefighters: a review and meta-analysis of studies published after 2007. Occupational Environ Med 2018;75:A388.
1012 Opportunities for worksite-based cervical cancer screening among female firefighters
Solle NS, Caban-Martinez AJ, Lee DJ, et al. (2018). 1012 Opportunities for worksite-based cervical cancer screening among female firefighters. Occupational Environ Med 2018;75:A536.
Volatile Organic Compounds Off-gassing from Firefighters' Personal Protective Equipment Ensembles after Use.
Fent, K.W., Evans, D.E., Booher, D., Pleil, J.D., Stiegel, M.A., Horn, G.P., Dalton, J. (2015). Volatile organic compounds off-gassing from firefighters' personal protective equipment ensembles after use. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 12(6), 404-414. doi:10.1080/15459624.2015.1025135
Creation of a retrospective job-exposure matrix using surrogate measures of exposure for a cohort of US firefighters from San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia.
Dahm, M. M., Bertke, S., Allee, S., & Daniels, R. D. (2015). Creation of a retrospective job-exposure matrix using surrogate measures of exposure for a cohort of US career firefighters from San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia. Occupational And Environmental Medicine, 72, 670-677.