Buffalo, NY - The work of firefighters, both paid and volunteer, is extremely hazardous. But there is a growing concern about the lingering health threat due to exposure from all that smoke and fumes.
Now in Washington a new law, co-sponsored by a local Congressman, will collect crucial data on firefighters and it may help protect those who help protect us.
"With a 30 percent greater incidence of cancer among firefighters - we need to know this." U.S. Representative Chris Collins of the 27th District said.
And that's the rationale behind the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act. It's now a bipartisan, unanimously approved bill in the House and Senate which Collins co-sponsored. The measure, based on a 2015 National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health report, will now require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop, maintain, and analyze data on cancer cases of firefighters across the country.
Division Chief Jeanine Nicholson of the San Francisco Fire department told NBC News, "There's a cancer sniper out there in the fire service. And it's not when, it's not if...it's who's gonna be next."
Collins said there is one key starting point for data regarding the health of firefighters.
"Let's go back to 9/11 (the attacks) and the asbestos, the dust, and the aftermath as that data has been tracked."
And couple that with decades of firefighter experience in various structures and situations. Collins noted they have been exposed to toxic fumes and soot given off by all sorts of burning materials.
"With that data we hope to keep our firefighters safe, improve on the gear that they use when they fight fires."
President Vincent Ventresca of the Buffalo Firefighter Association Local 282 pointed out, "It's also a change in the fire service and the mentality of washing gear, washing hoods. Doing everything at our side to protect ourselves from the carcinogens we come in contact with."
Now the registry measure goes to the desk of President Trump.
"I think the President can't wait to sign it," Collins said.
Collins acknowledged there is no funding as yet to help cover cancer treatments for firefighters. That would be like the measures for first responders suffering ill effects from the 9/11 attacks. But he said this is a start to completely study this link between such exposure and cancer and perhaps see some effective changes to protect them as well.