The Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study: Protocol for a Longitudinal Occupational Cohort Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beitel SC ; Burgess JL ; Caban-Martinez, Alberto J. ; Calkins MM ; Furlong MA ; Goodrich JM ; Graber JM ; Grant C ; Gulotta JJ ; Healy O ; Hollister J ; Hughes J ; Jahnke S ; Kern K ; Kolar Gabriel J ; Leeb FA ; Louzado Feliciano P ; Mayer, Alexander C. ; Osgood R ; Porter C ; Ranganathan S ; Schaefer Solle N ; Stapleton HM ; Toennis C ; Urwin DJ ; Valenti M
• Description:
  Background: Firefighters are at an increased risk of cancer and other health conditions compared with the general population. However, the specific exposures and mechanisms contributing to these risks are not fully understood. This information is critical to formulate and test protective interventions. Objective: The purpose of the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study (FFCCS) is to conduct community-engaged research with the fire service to advance the evaluation and reduction of firefighter exposures, along with understanding and mitigating effects leading to an increased risk of cancer and other health conditions. This involves establishing a long-term (>30 years) firefighter multicenter prospective cohort study. Methods: The structure of the FFCCS includes a fire service oversight and planning board to provide guidance and foster communication between researchers and fire organizations; a data coordinating center overseeing survey data collection and data management; an exposure assessment center working with quantitative exposure data to construct a firefighter job exposure matrix; and a biomarker analysis center, including a biorepository. Together, the centers evaluate the association between firefighter exposures and toxic health effects. Firefighter research liaisons are involved in all phases of the research. The FFCCS research design primarily uses a set of core and project-specific survey questions accompanied by a collection of biological samples (blood and urine) for the analysis of biomarkers of exposure and effect. Data and samples are collected upon entry into the study, with subsequent collection after eligible exposures, and at intervals (eg, 1-2 years) after enrollment. FFCCS data collection and analysis have been developed to evaluate unique exposures for specific firefighter groups; cancer risks; and end points in addition to cancer, such as reproductive outcomes. Recruitment is carried out with coordination from partnering fire departments and eligible participants, including active career and volunteer firefighters in the United States. Results: The FFCCS protocol development was first funded by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2016, with enrollment beginning in February 2018. As of September 2024, >6200 participants from >275 departments across 31 states have enrolled, including recruit and incumbent firefighters. Biological samples have been analyzed for measures of exposure and effect. Specific groups enrolled in the FFCCS include career and volunteer structural firefighters, women firefighters, trainers, fire investigators, wildland firefighters, firefighters responding to wildland-urban interface fires, and airport firefighters. Peer-reviewed published results include measurement of exposures and the toxic effects of firefighting exposure. Whenever possible, research results are provided back to individual participants. Conclusions: The FFCCS is a unique, community-engaged, multicenter prospective cohort study focused on the fire service. Study results contribute to the evaluation of exposures, effects, and preventive interventions across multiple sectors of the US fire service, with broad implications nationally. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomarkers Cohort Studies Firefighters Health Promotion Neoplasms Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Firefighter Biological Monitoring Biomonitoring Cancer Cohort Studies Community Based Exposure Assessment Fire Fighters Health Programs Longitudinal Study Prospective Cohort Study Protocol Wildland Fires

  More +
• ISSN:
  1929-0748
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; Boston Region [OSHA] ; California ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Kansas ; Kansas City Region [OSHA] ; Maryland ; Massachusetts ; Michigan ; New Jersey ; New York ; New York City Region [OSHA] ; North Carolina ; Ohio ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA] ; San Francisco Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  14
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070896
• Citation:
  JMIR Res Protoc 2025 Apr; 14:e70522
• Contact Point Address:
  Jefferey L Burgess, MD, MPH, MS, Department of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85724, United States
• Email:
  jburgess@arizona.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  JMIR Research Protocols
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6fe0d55933275ee324dea300a47bcfa56cb9ca77c0f41126e9dd04711f0d51fc990ec922ada9f46756a5855a8af3c8c4e2e8661e12e285c6cd427a9339a73a97
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209020/cdc_209020_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 476.82 KB ]