VIEWPOINT | Protecting our firefighters: A simple step to address a deadly risk

Guest column by South Dakota Senate Minority Leader Liz Larson

Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect us. They run into burning buildings, respond to chemical spills, rescue people from car accidents and battle increasingly destructive wildfires. They willingly take on these dangers, but there’s one risk they didn’t sign up for: cancer caused by their own protective gear.

Firefighter occupational cancer is now the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in the fire service, surpassing heart disease. According to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), 66% of firefighter deaths between 2002 and 2019 were due to cancer. The Firefighter Cancer Support Network puts it this way: two-thirds of the firefighters battling fires today will be battling cancer tomorrow.

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