By Bonny Matejowsky
The News Tribune
TACOMA, Wash. — Matt Frank, a lieutenant at the Tacoma Fire Department, has spent over half of his life in the fire service.
It’s because of that work, he says, that he’s contracted cancer twice, a disease that’s becoming all too common for firefighters.
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That’s why the Firefighter Cancer Support Network and International Association of Firefighters designated January as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, bringing eyes to the leading cause of line-of-duty death in the fire service.
Frank’s cancer journey began in 2013 when he noticed a mole on his back. A year later, one of his lymph nodes was swollen. A doctor’s visit confirmed his suspicions: it was melanoma.
After surgeries and three months of immunotherapy, his remission lasted four years, until a routine scan showed the unthinkable: the melanoma spread to his lungs.
Today he’s been cancer-free for six years. But not everyone has been as fortunate.
Robert “Bo” Schiemer was an 11-year veteran TFD firefighter and Frank’s longtime best friend. The two had known each other since their sophomore year of high school and worked together at Station 1. When Schiemer was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2021, he saw the same oncologist and surgeon as Frank.
Despite the long fight, Schiemer passed away two years later at 46, leaving behind a wife and four children.
Every November since, Tacoma Firefighters Local 31 grow out their mustaches for “Bovember,” an annual mustache competition fundraising for firefighters battling occupational cancer.
“Cancer is just something that’s in the back of your mind, but no firefighter ever thinks it’s going to be that,” Frank said. Why do firefighters have high rates of cancer?
Firefighters have a 9% higher chance of being diagnosed with cancer and 14% higher chance of dying from it than the general U.S. population, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The types of cancers firefighters experience are a broad list including testicular cancer, multiple myeloma, bladder cancer, skin cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a variety of others.
So why are firefighters experiencing more cancer than the rest of us? It has a lot to do with higher exposures to carcinogens.
Fires create toxic combustion products in smoke and soot that remain airborne even when the fire is out, according to the IAFF, making inhalation the most common route of exposure. Particulates can enter through the skin, or even be accidentally ingested if a firefighter’s hands aren’t washed thoroughly.
And today’s prevalence of plastics in buildings and products means even more toxic chemicals are released when they burn.
“Now we have all the petroleum-based products, and so our fires are much different than they used to be,” Frank said.
The carcinogens don’t just come from the blazes departments fight. They’re in the diesel exhaust of vehicles, and even the gear firefighters use.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, are a category of chemicals linked to cancer and often used for creating firefighting foam and firefighting gear that repels water.
It’s that same repellent quality that makes the chemicals difficult to break down, and as a result they stay in the human body for a long time. Though it’s not officially classified as a carcinogen, scientists have identified links to the substances’ mechanisms, such as disrupting cell metabolism and damaging DNA, to the development of human cancers.
Combine that research with the studies showing firefighters have higher levels of PFAS in their blood than the general population, and you’ve got a serious concern for firefighters. How are departments addressing cancer risks?
As awareness of cancer risks on the job spreads, stations have been taking steps to mitigate their crews’ exposure.
In the last four years, four firefighters from the Central Pierce Fire Department died from occupational cancer, Division Chief of Health and Wellness Jeff Campbell said.
Central Pierce is an all-hazards department, meaning it takes care of fires, water rescues, hazmat situations, technical rescues, car accidents and more. Since each incident has a different exposure risk, the health and wellness department developed thorough practices to limit cancer risks.
After dealing with a structure fire, firefighters are sprayed off with water and carefully take their gear off with gloves or the help of another person. Responders’ vitals are monitored in a clean environment and they take a cold shower with special soap once they are back at the station.
Cleaning turnout gear twice a year with a CO2 machine that strips out chemicals is another way to remove carcinogens from dirty outerwear. Their stations are divided into zones to ensure that contaminated equipment never enters the living quarters.
These protective measures aren’t just protocol for the fires they fight. It’s just as important to mitigate exposure to carcinogens inside of fire stations, Campbell said.
“Having a smoky helmet that’s all black is not cool anymore,” Campbell said.
The department also contracts comprehensive annual physicals for their workers that can detect early-stage cancers.
“What we’re trying to do is get ahead of things and when bad things do happen to our firefighters, to get them quick access to the service so that we can get them back to work quicker,” Campbell said.
Central Pierce’s robust health and wellness program isn’t present at every department in Pierce County.
Although there have been major strides with providing personal protective equipment for firefighters, significant improvements still need to be made in Tacoma, Allyson Hinzman, a lieutenant paramedic for TFD and union president for Tacoma Firefighters Local 31, told The News Tribune.
“What you’ll see in other departments is they have extra sets of gear that they can change into. They have decontamination rooms. They have thorough decontamination processes,” Hinzman said. “In Tacoma, we just don’t have the budget to do that.”
Tacoma Fire needs improved facilities and new equipment to properly address cancer risks in its departments, she said. But with the city’s current funding for the fire department falling short, the changes aren’t fiscally possible.
Many stations in Tacoma are decades old, constructed during times when stations weren’t set up to have decontamination spaces or places to isolate contaminated gear, she said.
“We’re wearing older gear that has PFAS in it,” Hinzman said. “And so every time I move my gear, those protocols are exposing not only myself, but everyone that’s in those spaces with me, too.” What are the resources for firefighters with cancer?
The Washington State Council of Firefighters Cancer Foundation is the brainchild of retired Shoreline Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric Monroe and the late Kirkland Battalion Chief Bill Hoover.
The pair shared a passion for firefighter safety, and Hoover himself was a cancer survivor. Together, they created the Washington chapter of the nonprofit to gather all the resources and educational materials a firefighter diagnosed with cancer might need.
“Our goal is that when somebody does get a cancer diagnosis, a firefighter or a family member, that we could respond to them within 24 hours and try to set them up for success,” Monroe said.
Not only does the nonprofit help with managing a new diagnosis, but it also guides people through filing workers’ compensation claims and developing webpages to cultivate community support.
Over the years, Monroe’s seen a steady increase in the number of firefighters with cancer using their resources, which he partly attributes to the field’s push toward more preventive healthcare and early detection.
They’ve had 45 different firefighters who’ve contracted cancer reach out to their organization in 2025, he said.
The best way to address the cancer problem is through education, not just prevention, Monroe said. The organization frequently gives presentations to fire academies, departments, investigators, commissioners and more about the risks of cancer in firefighting.
“We want them all to be aware of our program and the cancer issue,” Monroe said. “Ultimately, the chiefs and the commissioners are the decision makers and policymakers, and so we want them to have the most current information.”
The understanding of cancers linked to firefighting still has a long way to go, which is why the CDC established the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer.
The International Association of Firefighters encourages every firefighter —not just those with cancer— to join the program and help researchers better understand the cancer risk in the profession.
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