Perceived Health Risks Among Firefighters; The New Jersey Firefighter Health Survey.

Abstract

There is a growing literature on the risk of chronic disease among firefighters, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. However there is little information on firefighter's perception thereof. Firefighters attending a union convention in New Jersey completed a survey with four domains: firefighting experience; perceived additional risk for chronic diseases (six-point Likert scale); cancer screening history; demographics, and risk behaviors. Among 167 enrolled firefighters, all were men and 86.6% active career. Median perceived risk ranged from high risk (colon, hematologic, breast, prostate, and testicular cancers) to very high risk (CVD, pulmonary diseases, all cancers, lung and oral cancer). NJ Firefighters attributed considerable additional risk to acquiring chronic disease as a result of their firefighting activities. Understanding firefighter perceptions of their own morbidity and mortality will help develop future firefighter preparatory programs.