During last night’s Crossville City Council meeting, Councilman Mike Turner recognized January 2024 as “Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month”.

Cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters, and research suggests firefighters are at higher risk of certain types of cancers when compared to the general population.

Firefighting settings are complex and contain various hazardous substances. Firefighters can be exposed to hundreds of chemicals in the form of gases, vapors, and particulates. Some of these chemical substances are known or suspected to cause cancer. Some of these hazardous substances are byproducts of combustion or burning, such as benzene and formaldehyde. Others come from the materials burning or in the fire debris, such as asbestos from older structures.

Firefighters can come into contact with chemicals by breathing them in, getting them on their skin or in their eyes, or ingesting them. If protective clothing, known as turnout gear, is not adequately cleaned or stored after a fire response or training event, chemicals on the gear, or equipment can contaminate vehicles and the fire station. Reusing dirty turnout gear or respiratory protection can also result in exposure to hazardous substances. These exposures can occur by skin contact with contaminated personal protective equipment (PPE) or breathing in or ingesting particles from contaminated PPE.

Councilman Turner presented members of the Crossville Fire Department with a proclamation declaring January 2024 as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month.