Title: Women Firefighters Studies: (2020-2025)

Funding: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) EMW-2019-FP-00526 Women Firefighters Study: Stress, Cancer Risk and Reproductive Toxicity and EMW-2021-FP-00141 Women Firefighters Study: Evaluation of Exposures and Toxicity

Principal Investigator: Jeff Burgess, MD, MS, MPH

Project Coordinator: Michelle Valenti, MPH

Goal: The goals of these studies are to evaluate causes of stress, cancer, and adverse reproductive health effects in women firefighters, and plan effective interventions to mitigate these conditions.

Specific Aims

1.    Compare stress and biomarkers of cancer risk and reproductive health in incumbent and recruit women firefighters.

2.    Evaluate changes in these conditions over time in an inception cohort of women new recruits.

3.    Develop, beta test, and assess the feasibility of a peer support intervention for women firefighters.

4.    Measure and compare changes in the reproductive reserve of women incumbent career and volunteer firefighters and recruits over time.

5.    Use urinary metabolomic approaches to identify exposures and toxic effects of fires associated with cancer risks and changes in reproductive health in women firefighters.

Anticipated Impact

Through the course of this study, research activities and results are expected to identify exposures and risk factors for increased stress, cancer, and adverse reproductive outcomes in women firefighters to inform future intervention studies.

Current Study Activities:

  • As of October 2024, 985 firefighters are enrolled from over 150 departments across 30 states

  • Currently enrolling recruit class and incumbent career and volunteer women firefighters into the study

  • Conducting 18-24 month follow-up visits with participants enrolled in the study

  • Reporting back individual serum anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) levels and stress survey results to study participants. AMH is a measure of functional ovarian or reproductive reserve used in clinical settings

  • Aggregate de-identified study results are being provided to study participants and the research liaisons and departments. Quarterly newsletters are being sent to participants and department liaisons with study updates and relevant health topics.

  • Manuscripts submitted and being developed for submission in peer reviewed journals