Studying Female Firefighters’ Health Risks

Jan. 21, 2021

“I believe this latest study will help women, especially younger women just beginning their careers, to know that they will be safer than ever before,” said Lily Pesqueira, a captain and 20-year veteran of the Tucson Fire Department.

A $1.5 million Health Sciences grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will support research to examine how being a firefighter affects women’s stress levels, as well as their risk of cancer and reproductive health issues.

The study will include work from UArizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and UArizona Cancer Center members. Among them, Jefferey L. Burgess, MD, MPH, who is a professor and associate dean for research at the college, and Leslie V. Farland, DSc, who is an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics.

The three-year study will recruit 200 women. Half will be current firefighters and half will be new recruits to enable comparisons of stress levels and other health markers between the two groups.

“More and more women are joining the fire service,” Dr. Burgess said. “It’s imperative for us to understand the occupational risks that may be unique to these women, and how we can help make their jobs safer in the future.”

Previous studies by Dr. Burgess and others sought to find ways to reduce the risk of cancer among firefighters.

One such firefighter, Lily Pesqueira, a captain and 20-year veteran of the Tucson Fire Department, said she is grateful for the focus on female firefighters’ health.

The three-year study will recruit 200 women. Half will be current firefighters and half will be new recruits to enable comparisons of stress levels and other health markers between the two groups.

“Firefighters put their lives on the line for us,” Dr. Burgess said. “It's really important for those of us in academia to do research in partnership with the fire service.”

“Throughout my career, it has been encouraging to see an increased emphasis on cancer and mental health,” said Lily Pesqueira, a captain and 20-year veteran of the Tucson Fire Department.

Female firefighters will be recruited for the study from departments across the United States, including the Tucson Fire Department.

“We know very little about the health of female firefighters because they are a minority in the fire service,” Dr. Farland said. Her research will focus on the reproductive health of the female firefighters in the study.

“The knowledge that has come forward [in previous studies] has made a huge impact on the fire service as a whole,” Pesquiera said.