National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer

Understanding and Reducing Cancer

What to know

  • The NFR for Cancer is a registry to study cancer among firefighters.
  • All U.S. firefighters, with or without cancer, active, former, or retired, can join.
  • Having many types of firefighters (structural, wildland, and others) join is crucial to examining relationships between firefighter activities and cancer.
National Firefighter Registry for Cancer: Understanding & Reducing Cancer

About the NFR for Cancer

The National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer is the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters.

NIOSH is recruiting firefighters to join the NFR so that we can better understand the link between firefighting and cancer.

Firefighters are exposed to chemicals on the fireground that could increase their risk of developing cancer. There are many unanswered questions about how cancer risk may vary across our nation's diverse fire service.

Answer the Call - Join the NFR for Cancer!‎

Get started in just 5 minutes. When joining the NFR, you will provide your name, date of birth, and basic information about work exposures and lifestyle. Full registration will take about 30 minutes.
Join Now

Who can join the NFR for Cancer

Images of different types of firefighters, including structural, wildland, and volunteers
All U.S. firefighters - wildland, structural, and more - can join the NFR.

All U.S. firefighters, with or without cancer, no matter their length of service. This includes:

  • Active, former, and retired firefighters
  • Career, paid-on-call, and volunteer firefighters
  • Structural firefighters
  • Wildland firefighters
  • Industrial firefighters
  • Military firefighters
  • Instructors
  • Fire investigators
  • Other fire service members

Participation is voluntary.

I don't have cancer. Why should I join?‎‎

It is important that both firefighters with and without cancer diagnoses join the NFR. Having both will allow NIOSH scientists to compare those who develop cancer over time to those who do not. This will help us better understand the factors that contribute to cancer development in firefighters.

Why should firefighters join

Having many types of firefighters join the NFR is vital to examining the relationship between firefighting and cancer. The more researchers know about cancer, the more that can be done to prevent it.

By joining the NFR, you can:

  • Help protect your brothers and sisters in the fire service from developing cancer
  • Help lessen the impact of cancer on firefighters' families and friends
  • Pave the way for new health and safety measures to keep the next generation of firefighters safe
  • Improve understanding of cancer risk among minority, female, and volunteer firefighters, as well as groups like wildland firefighters

How you can help

Become a Gold Helmet Department

Your fire department can make a difference! Challenge your department to enroll at least half of its active firefighters in the NFR and help reduce cancer in the fire service. Learn more about becoming a Gold Helmet Department.

Share information about the NFR

Share information about the NFR with firefighters you know and encourage them to join. You can find materials to share on our Communication Materials page.

Stay connected

Newsletter

Contact us

If you have questions about the NFR, please contact NFRegistry@cdc.gov.

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Content Source:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health