IAFF Firefighter Cancer Summit Set for Feb. 1
"Cancer can be devastating for fire fighters, and we are just beginning to understand the scope of this problem," said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger, who is scheduled to deliver opening remarks at the event. "That's why we're bringing together the best and brightest minds on this subject. We must continue to learn all that we can to save more lives."
The International Association of Fire Fighters is hosting a firefighter cancer summit on Feb. 1 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, 1000 West Buena Vista Drive in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., to focus on current science linking cancer and firefighting, detail the impact of repeated exposures to carcinogens on the body, and to outline prevention strategies for responders.
The summit, set for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., also will examine national, state, and local efforts, including legislative programs, to protect firefighters and their families.
Its agenda is broken down into discussions of the latest research on cancer, the latest research on firefighters' exposures while extinguishing modern fires, current and future legislation and policies affecting firefighter occupational exposures, the latest developments in reducing exposures to carcinogens, and the latest advancements in precision medicine and exposure tracking.
TenCate Protective Fabrics, W.L. Gore and Associates, Globe by MSA, and DuPont Nomex are sponsors of the summit. Scheduled speakers are from IAFF and organizations such as NIOSH, the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, the New York Fire Department, the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute, the University of Arizona, the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute, LeMay Erickson Willcox Architects, and the Boston Fire Department.
"Cancer can be devastating for fire fighters, and we are just beginning to understand the scope of this problem," said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger, who is scheduled to deliver opening remarks at the event. "That's why we're bringing together the best and brightest minds on this subject. We must continue to learn all that we can to save more lives."
IAFF announced the summit will be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/iaffonline.