One hundred New Hampshire firefighters will be screened for cancer this week at the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire’s convention, kicking off an effort to develop long-term, regular testing statewide. 

Cancer is now the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths — representing more than 70% of them in 2023 — for firefighters in North America, according to the International Association of Firefighters. Efforts to combat that in New Hampshire are two-pronged between prevention and early detection, union President Brian Ryll said. A bipartisan bill moving smoothly through the legislature this year would fund a one-year program aiming to screen all of the Granite State’s nearly 4,000 active-duty firefighters for cancer. Ryll said the findings of that pilot will inform his organization’s push to establish a regular testing program. This week’s kickoff is just the first step. 

“We’re trying to drive home the importance of early detection,” Ryll said. “This has the potential to save lives.”

Because of the profession’s risk factors, any firefighter’s cancer diagnosis is presumed to be work-related unless it can be clearly ruled out, Ryll said. As cancer rates have ballooned, his organization has worked to educate fighters about ways to limit their exposure to the smoke and chemicals that put them at risk. But, for those who do get sick, catching it early is key. 

 With testing legislation moving through the State House, the union put together the screening event at its convention Tuesday and Wednesday to demonstrate support and buy-in for the initiative if state funding came through. 

Testing every firefighter statewide every year isn’t feasible, but the one-year picture will illustrate which demographics —including age and years on the job — should be targeted in annual testing, Ryll said. 

The effort will also mean diagnoses. 

“I would love to screen 4,000 firefighters in New Hampshire and have no positive results. But I’m quite certain that’s not going to be the case,” Ryll said. “The next best thing is to screen members and save lives — if we can save just one, this whole thing is worth it.” 

A fundraising effort brought in $175,000 — bolstered by $50,000 of both American Rescue Plan money and donations from Service Credit Union — to pay for screenings at the group's biennial convention next week. Currently awaiting passage in the House, the bill would put $5 million toward the state-wide screenings. 

Calling the initiative “groundbreaking,” Ryll said that only a few states have required regular cancer screenings for current and retired firefighters. Alongside Concord’s success in becoming the first city in the country to get PFAS-free equipment, it means the state is taking big first steps towards preventing and treating cancer among its first responders.