On Wednesday, December 4th, the Senate approved by voice vote, H.R. 3821, the Firefighter Cancer Registry Reauthorization Act. The bill reauthorizes the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer through Fiscal Year 2028. The legislation was originally introduced by the late Congressman Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, a longtime co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and a staunch supporter of the nation’s fire service.
The National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer is an effort led by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to study the risk of developing cancer among firefighters. The information collected through the NFR will allow researchers to better understand the connection between firefighter exposure to dangerous toxins and cancer development. The NFR is for all firefighters – career or volunteer, active or retired, with or without cancer, rookies or firefighters with experience. It takes about 30 minutes to register, and the information collected is confidential. The NFR is an opportunity for firefighters to help protect brother and sister firefighters from developing cancer—and it paves the way for new health and safety measures. More information about the NFR can be found at www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/registry/.
The bill, which was previously approved by the House 413-7, now goes to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
