Florida State University has been named co-recipient of a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to study cancer risks among women firefighters.
The Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship will use the money to study the link between the proper fit of protective equipment and occupational cancer risk for women firefighters.
The research is coined as the first of its kind and will be led at FSU by professor Meredith McQuerry in partnership with researchers at the University of Arizona, also a co-recipient of the grant.
Occupational cancer is the leading cause of death for long-term, line-of-duty fire service workers, according to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network.
McQuerry, lab director of the college's Wearable Advancements in Research and Performance group, says she hopes the research will inform standard sizing improvements for increased firefighter health and safety.
According to FSU, McQuerry and her team will compare gear fit of women firefighters with cancer biomarkers that provide results from live fire training burns at four structural fire departments in Florida, California, Arizona and Virginia.
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