WGFC Named NIOSH Gold Medal Department for Cancer Registry

Firefighter health and safety had been a hallmark of the West Grove Fire Company, which is why the department has a culture of continuous training and a proactive first responder health program that includes regular and detailed physical/medical exams for volunteers and career staff. One of the WGFC initiatives has been to actively register first responders for a national cancer registry operated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer is the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters. NIOSH(the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health) has been recruiting firefighters to join the NFR so that the link between firefighting and cancer can be better understood. Firefighters are exposed to chemicals on the fireground that could increase their risk of developing cancer. There are many unanswered questions about how cancer risk may vary across our nation's diverse fire service.

Departments like the West Grove Fire Company who register more than 50 percent of their first responders are recognized as Gold Medal Departments. The WGFC is one of 179 fire departments who have achieved Gold Medal status among the 27,000+ fire companies across the United States.

"We are honored to be recognized as a Gold Helmet Department for having many of our firefighters enrolled in the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer," said Kevin Sweeney, Fire Chief, WGFC. "I'd like to particularly recognize immediate Past Chief Eric Felker whose commitment to firefighter health was the driving force behind the WGFC's registry, and his leadership is why we can celebrate being a leading fire department nationally when it comes this critical issue."

For more information on the registry, see the link below.