NEW YORK , Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Running into burning buildings and battling raging fires aren't the only risk for firefighters. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, firefighters between the ages of 30 and 49 have a 62% greater risk of melanoma and up to a 30% increased risk of other skin cancers than the general population.
Four years ago, Mollie's Fund initiated a program with the FDNY (the largest municipal fire department in the U.S.) Fire Academy to bring skin cancer awareness to incoming and incumbent firefighters.
Dr. Elizabeth Hale , M.D.
, NYU Associate Professor of Dermatology, created a video about skin cancer and the necessity of prevention. This presentation was incorporated into a learning module which became part of the curriculum and then accessible on social media. Sunscreen dispensers were donated to the academy as a reminder that sunscreen prevents skin cancer.
Special posters designed specifically for the FDNY reiterated the importance of skin cancer prevention with helpful strategies, and these were sent to fire stations in all the boroughs. Using this program as a model, the firefighter training communities in Warrensburg, Missouri and Fairfax, Virginia joined Mollie's Fund's national firefighter skin cancer awareness initiative. Division Chief Matt Soer commented, "Firefighters have been educated on the risks of smoke exposure as a known carcinogen.
..Too often we forget about the need to protect our skin from exposure as well.
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