Cancer Risk and Risk Factors in Volunteer Firefighters: The NJ Firefighters Cancer Prevention Study (CAPS)
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Principal Investigator - Judith Graber
RELEVANCE
Firefighters have an increased risk for cancer. However, almost all the supporting research has been conducted among career firefighters. Volunteer firefighters comprise 67% of the US fire service. They perform the same tasks as career firefighters, but often with less protection and risk reduction. Significant gaps in understanding exposures and cancer risk among volunteer firefighters exist.
METHODS
This three-year, two-phased sequential mixed-methods study will build on the existing Firefighters Cancer and Assessment and Prevention Study (CAPS). For Phase 1, we will enroll 500 volunteer firefighters and, using the national Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study (FFCCS) infrastructure and methods, we will collect survey information about firefighting experiences, behavioral risk factors, and decon practices. We will collect blood and urine to quantify environmental exposures. Phase 1 data will be used to compare volunteer and career firefighters’ exposures and to design Phase 2 focus groups and interviews assessing practices, attitudes, and barriers toward decon among volunteers, including the impact thereon of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES
This project will inform meaningful cancer risk reduction efforts for volunteer firefighters by providing much-needed knowledge about their exposures while demonstrating methods for scientists to partner and engage with volunteer firefighters. CAPS data and specimens will become part of the FFCCS, providing a valuable resource for additional studies of volunteer firefighters.