VIDEO: In 2023, the International Association of Fire Fighters added 571 names to the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Wall, and 361 of those names died from occupational cancer.
"It's real. We have probably had 5 to 10 just in Illinois in the last 18 months succumb to the illness," said Chuck Sullivan, AFFI President.
Over the weekend, the Sycamore, Illinois Fire Department laid to rest one of its own. According to Sullivan, Bradley Belanger, a firefighter and paramedic for the DeKalb County community, battled esophageal cancer until the end.
"He never smoked. He never drank. He had been on the job for 20 years." The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found cancer is the leading cause of death among firefighters, and research suggests firefighters are at higher risk of certain types of cancers when compared to the general public.