Congress approves bill to establish firefighter cancer registry

A national registry would be created to collect data on the prevalence of cancer in firefighters to better understand how smoke inhalation and other occupational hazards contribute under a bill that cleared Congress on Friday.

The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2017, H.R. 931 would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish and maintain a volunteer firefighter cancer registry to bolster cancer prevention and treatment options. The U.S. House of Representatives first approved the bill in September, and an amended version was approved by unanimous consent on Friday.

In applauding the passage of the bill, U.S. Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR), the chairman of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Michael Burgess (R-TX), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, said firefighters put themselves in hards way “day after day.”

“From a house fire to the wildfires that ravage the west, these men and women don’t think twice before heading into dangerous situations of fire and smoke to protect others,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “This national registry is one way we can help protect them.”

U.S. Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY), who authored the bill with U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ), said he was “extremely humbled and proud” that the measure was advancing to the president’s desk for consideration.

“We have to prioritize the health and safety of the brave men and women who selflessly protect our communities,” Collins said. “It has been an honor to work with Congressman Pascrell, and we have seen an outpouring of support for this legislation from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, various firefighter organizations, health care groups, our colleagues in Congress, and of course the firefighters in our districts and across America that this is intended to serve. I look forward to President Trump signing this bill into law and to see all of the positive impacts this will have on the firefighting community.”

The firefighter cancer registry would make anonymous data like years of service, the number of calls responded to, and additional risk factors to public health researchers to better understand how occupational factors contribute to cancer prevalence.

“This will strengthen the safety of the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every single day,” Pascrell said. “This legislation has long enjoyed bipartisan support because having the backs of those protecting our families is a cause we all support.”