Cornhusker State News

LINCOLN, NEB. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) recently co-led the introduction of the bipartisan Firefighter Cancer Registry Reauthorization Act, which would reauthorize the program and raise the authorized funding level.
The registry, which was enacted in 2018 and officially went online earlier this year, is the largest effort undertaken to understand the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters. The original legislation directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a database of firefighters diagnosed with cancer and to study the relationship between career-long exposure to dangerous fumes and toxins and the incidence of cancer in firefighters. The registry can be used to develop better protective gear and prevention techniques. U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) led the introduction of the legislation.

“Our firefighters always have our backs when we need them the most. We need to do our part here in Congress to continue supporting them. Reauthorizing the Firefighter Cancer Registry will further shine a light on solutions to protect first responders from the risk of cancer,” said Senator Fischer.
In 2019, Senator Fischer joined a bipartisan letter requesting $2.5 million to fully fund the Firefighter Cancer Registry.

Background:

The Firefighter Cancer Registry Reauthorization Act will reauthorize the program for an additional five years and increase the annual authorization level to $5.5 million, in line with the program’s current appropriation. The additional funding level will support critical cybersecurity and encryption measures to protect sensitive personal data, as well as help expand enrollment and outreach efforts. This extension and funding increase will allow the CDC to be able to continue to collect the data necessary to study the occupational risks of firefighters.
In addition to Senators Fischer and Menendez, the legislation was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Marco Rubio (R-Fla), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
Specifically, the Firefighter Cancer Registry: 

1. Stores and consolidates epidemiological information submitted by health care professionals related to cancer incidence among firefighters.
2. Makes de-identified data available to public health researchers to provide them with robust and comprehensive datasets to expand groundbreaking research.
3. Improves our understanding of cancer incidences and contributes to the development of more sophisticated safety protocols and safeguards as more data is collected.
4. Requires administrators to consult regularly with epidemiologists, public health experts, clinicians, and firefighters in order to ensure the effectiveness of the registry.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the Congressional Fire Services Institute, First Responder Center of Excellence, the International Association of Firefighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs support this legislation.

Click here for the full text of the legislation.

Original source can be found here