Firefighting & Cancer Risk
- Gary Schobel, an Arizona firefighter and father of two, leaned on the deep support of his firehouse after being diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, crediting his colleagues with helping him stay hopeful and connected during treatment.
- Featured in SurvivorNet’s “Men Beating The Odds” series during Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month, Gary described how his team ensured he still felt valued, even when he had to step away from frontline duty.
- Firefighters face repeated exposure to carcinogens from fires, protective gear, diesel exhaust, and chemicals, which research has linked to increased cancer risk.
- Large studies by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) show higher cancer rates and mortality among firefighters, underscoring the need for prevention, protective equipment, and long-term health monitoring.
Gary’s story will be told in the upcoming film “A Firefighter’s Greatest Fight”—as part of SurvivorNet’s 12-film series titled “Men Beating The Odds.” He explains to SurvivorNet how his fellow firefighters allowed him to “feel part of the team” while undergoing treatment, ultimately helping him stay hopeful throughout his journey.
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“It felt like if he left, he was never going to be able to make it back.”
He continued, “I remember setting that kind of sink in for me, and my advice to him was like, no, this isn’t you leaving to never come back, this is you leaving to get better to come back.
“It was a very difficult decision for him to do.”
“And I didn’t know if I was going to be able to recover from this.”
Chief Tom Brandhuber, who has also faced his own battle with cancer—though the specific type is unknown—admitted, “My strategy was to keep him busy, to make him feel that he was still a part of the team.”
Chief Brandhuber continued, “So getting him involved in other aspects so that he felt he was still part of the team, still contributing, was very important.”
Gary recalled receiving morning text messages checking on how he was feeling, asking whether it was a good or bad day, and encouraging him to put on his uniform and come in, making him feel as though he was the only firefighter who mattered.
“He knew because of his eight years of battling his own cancer that I had to get out of the house, I had to get in, I had to find purpose,” Gary added.
Firefighting and Cancer Risk
Fires generate hazardous byproducts—gases, liquids, and microscopic particles—that can be breathed in or absorbed through the skin, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Additionally, their gear may include PFAS-related chemicals, and they are also exposed to diesel emissions from vehicles at emergency scenes and at fire stations.
Scott Jennie, National State Director of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN), emphasizes to SurvivorNet that repeated exposure to toxic smoke, contaminated gear, and carcinogenic environments significantly increases long-term cancer risks for firefighters.
He shared the following statement, “Every fire releases a complex mix of carcinogens from burning plastics, foams, electronics, furnishings, and fuels. Firefighters experience hundreds to thousands of exposures over a career—structure fires, vehicle fires, wildland-urban interface, training burns, and overhaul.
“Even if each exposure is ‘short,’ the total lifetime dose becomes significant. Cancer often has a long latency period. Firefighters may feel fine during active duty, only to see disease emerge decades after repeated exposures began—sometimes even into retirement.”
“Repeated exposure to carcinogens damages DNA. When that damage isn’t fully repaired, DNA mutations accumulate over time, disrupting normal cell control and increasing the likelihood of cancer development,” Jennie’s statement continued.
“For firefighters, this process is accelerated because toxic exposures happen repeatedly over an entire career—through inhalation of smoke, dermal contact with contaminants, and continued exposure from contaminated gear and environments. Each exposure adds to the cumulative DNA damage, raising long-term cancer risk.”
The FCSN is actively raising awareness and supporting firefighter health through upcoming initiatives. On Friday, January 30, 2026, they will host the Firefighters for Hope – Cancer Walk, a 10K event tied to Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, to fund badge-to-badge support programs and prevention education.
The network coordinates cancer screening events with healthcare experts, offers free nationwide training on minimizing cancer risks in the fire service, and emphasizes the importance of regular check-ups for early detection. Its leaders frequently attend key fire service conferences to deliver workshops and talks on prevention, survivor support, and safety practices, guiding firefighters, department leaders, and communities to take proactive steps in protecting long-term health.
Meanwhile, the ACS reports that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), concluded in 2010 that strong evidence links multiple firefighting-related exposures to cancer.
These exposures include chemicals such as arsenic, asbestos, benzene, formaldehyde, silica, cadmium, sulfuric acid, certain radioactive substances, and dioxins—all of which have been associated with cancers affecting the lungs, skin, liver, blood, bladder, larynx, digestive system, mesothelioma, and overall cancer risk.
The IARC has also noted that firefighters who work night shifts may be at an increased risk of cancer due to the disruption of sleep and biological rhythms. However, studies are ongoing.
Colorectal oncologist and SurvivorNet Medical Advisor Dr. Heather Yeo previously told SurvivorNet, “It’s often difficult to study environmental causes of cancer,” adding that it often takes enormous amounts of exposure for the risk to turn severe.
WATCH: SurvivorNetTV Presents “How Not to Get Cancer: Environment”
The National Cancer Institute has identified several chemical substances known to be carcinogenic to humans. Some examples of carcinogenic chemicals include:
- Arsenic
- Asbestos
- Indoor emissions from household compounds
- Soot
- Secondhand tobacco smoke
- Wood dust
WATCH: Are toxins in the air making us sick?
Support Matters: Finding The Help You Need
Dr. Kysa Christie, a clinical psychologist in the hematology and oncology clinic at the West Los Angeles VA, previously spoke with SurvivorNet about the emotional and physical challenges of prostate cancer and her role in supporting patients through the journey.
“One of the highest points of stress is before you even have that diagnosis,” Dr. Christie told SurvivorNet. “Because not knowing something is really scary.”
“You don’t know how to plan, you don’t know what it’s going to be like. You just don’t know,” she added. “And that can be consuming so often. That’s a very stressful time.”
Dr. Christie also explained how a diagnosis can affect the whole family.
“Cancer is something that affects not just the person who’s diagnosed, but the family, whether that’s your partner, whether that’s your kids, whether the community,” she said.
“That team of support becomes critical to anybody that’s going through cancer.”
Through cancer and into the healing period, it’s important to know that you are not alone. If you find yourself needing support and you don’t know where to turn, just know that there is help out there. A social worker or life coach can advocate for you and help you navigate community groups of people in similar situations to befriend, or think of a friend or mentor whom you can trust.
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friends’ circle. They feel like they have enough support there,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik told SurvivorNet. “But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it’s important to reach out to a mental health professional.”
Dr. Plutchik also stressed how important it is for people supporting cancer survivors to understand their emotions can vary day-to-day.
“People can have a range of emotions, they can include fear, anger, and these emotions tend to be fluid. They can recede and return based on where someone is in the process,” she explained.
Seeking Support: The First 3 Things to Do After a Cancer Diagnosis
Content independently created by SurvivorNet with support from Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp.
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