When volunteer firefighter Brian McQueen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma in 2013, he learned a hard truth: Cancer is an epidemic among firefighters.
His way of dealing with that fact was to create a way to help other firefighters facing a cancer diagnosis by creating the organization Believe 271 Foundation in 2014.
To date, the organization has assisted 63 firefighters. In addition, McQueen developed a two-hour Cancer in the Fire Service training and awareness program that he conducts throughout New York and nationally.
With that program, McQueen has educated more than 6,270 firefighters and their families from across the country.
The Whitesboro native’s mission is to get the message of occupational cancer out to as many families as possible, and he embeds his educational philosophy on occupational cancer throughout his training opportunities.