The Jonesboro Fire Department has been recognized as a Gold Helmet Department. Gold Helmet is a designation given by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to fire departments where a majority of members have signed up for a national cancer registry.
The registry is part of a study aimed at finding out why firefighters face a higher risk of cancer than the general population. Firefighters can sign up whether or not they have cancer, helping researchers build a broader data set to identify patterns and find solutions.
Fire Chief Marty Hamrick said firefighters face increased cancer risk. “We’re seeing roughly 10 to 15% more increased risk for firefighters because we have to operate in those hazardous environments where there’s lots of carcinogens,” Hamrick said. “So, we owe it to our firefighters to try to help them maintain their health.”
Hamrick said the main goal is to get firefighters paying attention to their health. “The main goal of it was just to get people signed up so they’re starting to pay attention to their own health and see ways that we can help reduce that risk for our members,” Hamrick said.
Only 156 fire departments across the country have earned the designation. The Jonesboro Fire Department is the second in Arkansas to receive it.
