As part of our Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Fire Prevention and Safety Grant, DetecTogether will be presenting at four upcoming national conferences. The grant, which partners us with The Firefighter Cancer Support Network and the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research supports projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards and brings the three organizations together to help reduce firefighter cancer mortality.
Cancer is the most dangerous threat to firefighter health. According to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), cancer caused 61% of career firefighter line-of-duty deaths between 2002 and 2016. Recent research sponsored by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found that firefighters have a 9% higher risk of developing cancer and a 14% greater risk of dying from cancer.
Heather Maykel, DetecTogether’s First Responder Program Lead, will present “Cancer: Prevent It, Detect It, Survive It” along with Dr. Sara Jahnke, Director of The Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research, and Russ Osgood, Chief of the Ogunquit Fire Department (ME) and Vice President of Education, Research and Outreach for the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, at the following conferences:
- Fire Rescue International (FRI)
Charlotte, NC
July 28, 2021 - Fire Department Instructor Conference (FDIC)
Indianapolis, IN
August 2, 2021 - IAFF Redmond Health and Safety Symposium
New York, NY
September 9, 2021 - Firehouse Expo
Columbus, OH
September 17, 2021
We invite and encourage anyone going to these conferences to attend the session and to connect with us.
