Congressman Richard Hanna and firefighters from across New York State are calling on Congress to approve a National Firefighter Cancer Registry.

Hanna spoke on Friday at the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs Conference at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino.

Hanna was joined by former Whitesboro Fire Department Chief Brian McQueen.  McQueen is a cancer survivor and one of the founders of Believe 271.

Hanna's bill would establish a national cancer registry to be managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

He says the registry would improve collection capabilities and activities related to the nationwide monitoring of cancer incidents among firefighters.

“Our firefighters put their lives on the line every day to help our communities during times of emergency,”  Hanna said. “We need a broader understanding of the trends associated with why, how and when our firefighters are contracting this life threatening disease.

 

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