Our membership includes cancer survivors, and sadly our members have lost co-workers to cancer.
We’re observing Firefighters’ Cancer Awareness Month in Canada for the second time.
A national framework on cancers linked to firefighting was announced in October 2024, following through in a 2023 act of legislation. The Act declared this month of awareness, which is already observed in other countries, and included positive steps on some items that UCTE was advocating for.
Our airport firefighter members are exposed to hazards that are specific to aircraft, as well as those that are common to all firefighters. While recognizing that the framework includes some steps forward, UCTE is still advocating for more inclusive lists of presumptive cancers in all provinces, including better inclusion of women’s cancers on these lists.
For more about understanding and mitigating cancer risks in firefighting, see this video featuring Dr. Kenneth Kunz: Firefighters are at Risk of Higher Rates of Cancer – Union of Canadian Transportation Employees