San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation

Board member and San Francisco Firefighter Adam Wood speaking at the IAFF on Resolution 31.. our professions great concern over PFAS chemicals in our PPE and the major study our Foundation is about to embark on in conjunction with Stanford University...

Today we ask for prayers and positive thoughts for one of our own....SFFD A/Batt. Chief Matt Alba, member of our Board of Directors. Matt has been diagnosed with a tumor on his brain...this Wednesday Matt will undergo surgery at UCSF. He is in good hands with a brilliant neurosurgeon....Matt is one of our Board members that has led the fight against PFAS chemicals in firefighters PPE as well as toxic exposures on the fire ground...I cannot say enough positive things about him...a more dedicated person you will not find and basically a down to earth great humanitarian....your prayers and positive thoughts for Matt and his beautiful family are greatly appreciated.

As Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month ends, the reality is we must stay vigilant year round. November and December saw a spike in the incidence of cancer in our SFFD members. 4 active and 5 retired firefighters were referred to us for assistance in ensuring a proper diagnosis and access to cutting edge physicians and treatment. Don’t delay any longer if you are experiencing signs. Early detection and treatment are key to a positive outcome. To request assistance, visit the Health Navigation page on our website https://buff.ly/2U1SVSx

Thanks for your support, Catherin! We appreciate it.

The unseen hazard.....sound familiar??

SFFCPF fully supports this important development with the designation of January for a nationwide effort to affect positive change and educate firefighters about occupational cancer and how to stop it. See the official joint press release of IAFF and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network here: https://buff.ly/38zgCYE

A HUGE Thank You!!.. to Sta. 38 and Sta. 34 for donating their firehouse Christmas Decorations Contest winnings to our Foundation!! A combined donation of $3,500! so appreciated....A Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to all!

MEET THE TEAM: "I joined the San Francisco Fire Department in 1995, and met Tony Stefani when I was assigned to Station One as my second house on probation. Tony was playing alto saxophone in those days and practicing in the firehouse. We performed a duet of Harlem Nocturne that, if I remember correctly, had at least one senior member of Station One dancing on the big round table. I followed Tony’s battle against cancer with concern and was inspired by his decision to laun...ch the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. However, it took the deaths of two close friends - John Murphy and David Amituanai to make the threat of job-related cancer feel real to me. I met Derek Murphy (Truck 3), John’s younger brother, in 5th grade at Grattan Elementary School. Soon after that I met John, who punched me in the shoulder and continued to terrorize me through most of my middle school years. Over time our friendship mellowed, and when I followed John and Derek into the fire department John gave me some of the best advice about life in the firehouse. His words of wisdom included, In your first three years on the job you will have 80% of the conversations you will ever have for the rest of your career, If everyone around you is an asshole, you are probably the asshole, The only important thing on this job is everyone going home the next morning, and If you don’t take a nap you’re stupid. I got to know David when we were both assigned to Station 40 in 1998. A large group of us were placed there as vacation relief. Not that there is anything wrong with Station 40, but we all wanted to be somewhere else. Rather than sulking over our fate, we ended up having a great time. I learned it was hard not to have a great time with David around. In fact, I don’t think I have matched the laughs per minute from those months since. John lost his battle with job-related cancer in 2014, and we lost David the following year. David had already dedicated himself to the fight against cancer in the fire service, and his passing left an opening on the Cancer Prevention Foundation Board. I was honored to step into David’s position and try to carry on his fight. In my time on the Foundation Board I have been able to speak out about Cancer Prevention before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the California State Building Commission, and assist firefighters in other states fight for some of the preventative measures we’ve been able to win in San Francisco. It has been an honor to work alongside all the current and past members of the Foundation, from the founding Board members who joined with Tony to launch the Foundation, to our newest (and ridiculously over-qualified!) members."

SFFCPF 2020 Accomplishments in Research In 2020, SFFCPF had many accomplishments in research, including: - Funding and/or collaborating on 5 active FF research studies - Recruiting FF participants for 2 new studies... - Approving funding of study to measure safety of proposed, safer PPE - Launching a new website with 65 cancer exposure posts To browse our research studies and posts, click here https://buff.ly/2yTzt31

I think we can all agree that has been one HELL of a year...It was a "fairly" quiet year as far as new cancer cases which we are thankful for...but in another sense it does concern us. With the ongoing Covid situation many have avoided going to the doctors office for routine checkups and annual blood work...for firefighters these checkups are extremely important to possibly identify a problem at its earliest stage. We hope and pray that when things normalize that the cancer r...ates continue to decline but if a problem does arise rest assured that we will be there for you. For those of you that have been so generous with your donations we thank you!...we also want to let you know that your names are recognized at our monthly Board meetings. Finally, on behalf of our Board of Directors, we wold like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year!! See more

Thanks, Carol. We’re honored to help firefighters and their families throughout their entire cancer journey.

The fire service has lost another great ally...James (Jamie) Redford left us after a cancer related illness...a true humanitarian with a deep concern for the health and safety of firefighters and the preservation of our environment....an award winning documentarian who along with fellow director, producer Kirby Walker exposed the chemical industries use of cancer causing flame retardants and the profound effect it was having on elevated rates of cancer in the firefighting pro...fession in the HBO documentary, Toxic Hot Seat...Extremely ironic that we lost Kirby last year to cancer and now Jamie. Both Kirby and Jamie were honored at our 2017 Gala for bringing to light our professions plight of elevated rates of cancer due to toxic exposures. Jamie is gone but his legacy will live on in the great works he produced...Yes, gone but never forgotten. May you Rest In Peace Brother, and May the Redford family find peace. See more

"Hello, my name is Dennis O’Neill and I’m recently retired from the S.F.F.D. after 25 years. I’m writing this story about my daughter, Ellie, her battle with melanoma, and the support that our family received from the SFFD Cancer Foundation during this time. In January of 2013, Ellie was diagnosed with malignant melanoma after a cancerous mole was removed from her arm. The doctors didn’t sugar coat any conversations. They assured us that this was serious and potentially life ...threatening. Ellie was 17 and a junior in high school. My wife, Leslie, and I have four children and Ellie is the oldest. We were devastated. Ellie had surgery to remove any melanoma and get clear margins in her arm. Leslie drove Ellie to 6 months of daily chemotherapy treatments after her surgery. Around this time, I received a call from Jeff Malone from our cancer foundation. I had been a probie at Station 1 and met Jeff there. He was calm and reassuring. Jeff had good knowledge of the disease and the process that we were going through. He knew doctors and had information about other treatments in different parts of the country. I appreciated his candor. The chemo treatments had started to take a toll on Ellie’s body, so the doctors decided to stop chemo and continue with oral medication. Our physician was none other then Dan Maloney, son of George and brother to Mike both from the SFFD. We felt safe with Dan. Jeff also continued to stay in contact with me and give advice when needed. A year went by and Ellie graduated from high school and had been accepted into Seattle University’s Nursing program. She had a PET Scan before she left for college and it showed that the melanoma had returned and was lodged between her heart and lung. Once again, we were devastated. Ellie was scheduled for open heart surgery to remove the cancer and the doctors were not sure if the cancer had attached itself to any organs. The surgery was successful and when we were with Ellie in post-op, who showed up to support us, but Jeff Malone. Leslie and I were weary from trying to remain positive, raise three other children, and continue to work. Ellie, was strong and she made it clear to all of us that she was going to succeed at beating the cancer, go to college, and become a nurse. Well, she did do that. She finished college in 3 and a half years, passed her boards to become a nurse and recently had her 6 year cancer free anniversary. I hope that none of you that are reading this ever have to go through what our family did. But know the SFFD Cancer Foundation and many others are here to support you and guide you through these difficult moments. The O’Neills are very grateful to the foundation and Dr. Maloney for the help and professional advice that we’ve received. Thank you!" We are celebrating with Ellie O’Neill for being CANCER FREE for six years! To learn more about how we are helping firefighters and their families like the O’Neills., visit our website. https://buff.ly/3eFNMY9

The University of Arizona, the Tucson Fire Department, and the FDIC International collaborated to put together a presentation about cancer prevention in the fire service. This presentation highlights the effectiveness of decontamination and preventative measures in minimizing exposures. View the full presentation by visiting our website https://buff.ly/3lLVzXO

Did you know you can now request a Health Navigation Consultation on our website? Visit the Health Navigation page and click the red request button on the top right https://buff.ly/2U1SVSx

Thank you, Steve!

HOT NEWS 24 active and retired firefighters in Santa Clara County, CA have filed a lawsuit against 20+ chemical companies and manufacturers over #PFAS expos...ure from firefighting foam and firefighter turnout gear. We believe this marks the first PFAS lawsuit that includes damages from turnout gear, which is HUGE! We have a feeling that the work of Dr. Graham Peaslee and his findings of PFAS in turnout gear as well as the alarm bells that Your Turnout Gear and PFOA have been sounding for years, has impacted how departments are looking at these toxic chemical exposures. We'll keep an eye on this case and follow up as we hear more! If you're in the fire service or have retired, we highly recommend reading some of the articles below! Read the case (Scroll down to 'Read More' and click on the link to open the file): https://www.pfasactiongroup.com/nantucket-fd Dr. Graham Peaslee Study on Turnout Gear: https://bit.ly/34lisdL University of Notre Dame Article on PFAS in Turnout: https://bit.ly/2GCey7Q FireRescue1 Article on PFAS in Turnout: https://bit.ly/2SuagSE Your Turnout Gear and PFOA Articles: https://medium.com/@dianecotter Bloomberg PFAS in Turnout: https://bit.ly/2GFGKGX

"My name is Mike Ryan and I retired from the Fire Dept. after 32 years in 2006. In 2007 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which has been in remission since 2010. Around 2010, I noticed tenderness in my collarbone which led to many years of the medical field trying to figure out what caused my condition. In late 2017, my doctor finally referred me to the UCSF medical team for further analysis. In May 2018, I was diagnosed with "Undifferentiated Sarcoma of the Chest Tissue.... After learning of the diagnosis and imminent surgery, I turned to the SF Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation for guidance. I contacted Tony Stefani and he, in turn, set me up with Jeff Malone. Jeff was very thorough in questioning me about my condition. It was difficult for him since this was a rare type of cancer. He persisted with his research and what my avenues were to address this disease. He put me in contact with Judy Lynch, RN, and she went over my UC records, explaining everything I was about to encounter. I had a 10 hour surgery with a hospital stay in August and radiation treatment in November of 2018. Judy and Jeff were always in contact, both in the hospital and when I returned home. They still follow-up on my condition to find out how things are going with the UC oncology team. To date, there seems to be no spreading or recurrence of my cancer. In addition to helping me, Judy helped out, guiding my wife through her own diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. My family and I are eternally grateful to the team at SFFCPF. Their dedication and concern for me was extraordinary. Thanks to Tony, Jeff, and Judy for a wonderful job in helping me." We are celebrating with Mike Ryan for being CANCER FREE for two years! To learn more about how we are helping firefighters like Ryan, visit our website. https://buff.ly/3eFNMY9

Since January 2018, 39 brave SFFD firefighters* have been referred to SFFCPF for Health Navigation and diagnosed with cancer. To date, 34 have survived and, sadly, 5 have been lost. Read the type of incidence statistics below. SFFD STATUS > Active 14 | Retired 25 GENDER > Women 4 | Men 35 GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT (8) > Liver 1 | Pancreas 2 | Colon 3 | Rectal 2... GENITOURINARY TRACT (7) > Kidney 2 | Bladder 1 | Prostate 3 | Testicle 1 SKIN/SOFT TISSUE (7) > Basal/Squamous Cell 5 | Melanoma 1 | Sarcoma 1 BLOOD/LYMPH SYSTEM (6) > Multiple Myeloma 3 | Lymphoma 2 | Leukemia 1 ORAL (4) | BRAIN (2) | BREAST (3) | THYROID (1) | LUNG (1) *Limited to the number referred to/known by SFFCPF

If you, a firefighter colleague, or a loved one are experiencing unusual signs and symptoms, we urge you and others to seek medical attention immediately. We understand these catastrophic times are challenging, but delaying can have a serious, or deadly, impact. Feel free to reach out to the Health Navigation Team for guidance. https://www.sffcpf.org/covid-19-pandemic-causing-deadly-de/

Thanks Nick! We are passionate about helping firefighters and we love what we do.

I admire the work that Tony Stefani and the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation are doing in regard to cancer prevention and early detection.... The SFFCPF generously donated 500 bladder cancer test kits to me to be used here in Southern California, and I had the opportunity to help introduce them. For those of you who don’t know, bladder cancer is the cancer I was diagnosed with. After working with several departments, the decision was made to donate them to the San Diego City Fire Department. I had the opportunity to meet with Kyle O’Neill Fire Engineer and the Cancer and Health Coordinator with San Diego City Fire. They will be working on implementing them into their wellness center. Early detection is the key with cancer. The NMP22 test kit may detect kidney and bladder cancer before any signs or symptoms. #ExtinguishCancer #FightingMoreThanFires

Tune in today....2pm...should be interesting..

MEET THE TEAM: Hi, I’m Margie Favro, and I am honored to serve on the Board for the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. I am now happily retired, but previously held leadership positions in the health insurance industry for the last 40 years, most recently with Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente. I am a born and raised San Franciscan, attended Mercy High School (72) and SF State (76). I am fortunate to have many friends and family who have served o...r are serving in the SFFD, so I have a vested interest in doing everything I can to support the mission of SFFCPF. I am also a Cancer Survivor, and have a special place in my heart for those who have or are going through the fight to beat this beast!! The Foundation, with the Leadership of Tony Stefani, has done so much to bring attention to the risks our firefighters are exposed to while doing their jobs on the front lines. We will continue to promote early prevention and early detection of cancer and provide access to cutting edge care for active and retired firefighters of the San Francisco Fire department and their families.

This mornings CBS report....

We have just been notified by CBS Morning News that they will air air an interview tomorrow morning on their 7am addition... Our concerns on toxic exposures during these conflagrations and results of the Camp Fire study.....