Category: Our Programs

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Our Programs

Relief Crew

Relief Crew

Join the Relief Crew

Tragically, several of our SDFD friends are currently battling cancer. As expected, many brothers and sisters have stepped up to volunteer their time to help them. FirefighterAid, the nonprofit side of the San Diego Fireman’s Relief Association, oversees the backend of this process by creating schedules, assessing needs, and essentially making it easier for volunteers to provide help. 



Many people routinely contact FirefighterAid tell us they want to volunteer or to help. So we’ve decided to create a database of do gooders who are interested in stepping up to help our own when needs arise.



Examples of needs include: driving Firefighters to appointments, mowing lawns, cleaning up yards, grocery shopping, meal preparation, and more. Once signed up, you’ll receive periodic emails detailing volunteer opportunities. Please don’t let the fact that you live remote from San Diego be a barrier to signing up…others may live in the same area and might someday need your help! Join us and be one of the good guys!

Get started
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Are you or do you know a former Firefighter in need of assistance?

Contact us if you know of anyone who is in need of help. We’re always here to support our community in any way we can.

Get in touch with us

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Categories
Our Programs

Aging Heroes

Aging Heroes

What is Aging Heroes?

Aging Heroes is a program that provides supportive care and resources to low-income and or elderly Firefighters and widows. These elderly community servants have been exposed to significant health hazards before modern safety equipment. Aging Heroes ensures that our elderly public servants and their loved ones do not slip through the cracks.

Services include our Surviving Spouses brunches and social activities for widow(er)s of Firefighters and Last Alarm funeral assistance, flags and recognition of retired firefighters that have answered their last alarm. 

Contact Us

Are you or do you know a former Firefighter in need of assistance?

Contact us if you know anyone who is in need of help. We’re always here to support our community in any way we can. 

Get in touch with us

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Categories
Our Programs

Cancer Awareness & Prevention Program (CAPP)

Cancer Awareness
Prevention Program (CAPP)

Safe Work Practices For
Cancer Prevention

The following videos will walk you through cancer prevention methods you can carry out at the station every day. Each video highlights different practices to help you maintain clean air, a clean body, and clean gear while you’re on the job. Just a few minutes of your time can make a big difference in your health over the course of your career. Every day you’re on duty is an obligation to save lives, it’s time to apply the best practices that will save yours too.

In 2015, we launched our CAPP program to try and get to the bottom of the question, “What’s killing our firefighters?” – the answer wasn’t fire. Today’s firefighter will most likely not die in a fire saving a life; they will die in a hospital bed from work-related cancer. 2015 revealed shocking statistics of firefighters battling work-related cancers. Cancers that we believe to be preventable. CAPP was founded with the sole purpose to reinforce best practices of firefighters in the workplace specializing in Clean Air, Clean Body, and Clean Gear.



The program includes a mandatory cancer training class, an impact video, warning identifiers, behavioral and cultural changes to prevent cancer, and posters of peers in every fire station and apparatus. Most importantly, our CAPP Program is on a mission to break down stereotypes of what it means to be a firefighter and educate them on how to protect themselves every day from the threat of cancer.

Clean Air Safe Work Practices

Learn the importance of using, cleaning & maintaining your respirators as well as methods of care for loading and maintaining rigs in the fire station to reduce exposure to cancer-causing compounds in the air.

Clean Body Safe Work Practices

Learn clean body-in-action principles that will help you reduce the absorption of toxins and cancer-causing conditions.

Clean Gear Safe Work Practices

Learn more about the value of cleaning and sanitizing fire-fighting gear properly to remove contaminants.

Firefighter Cancer Awareness

Today’s firefighters will most likely not die in a fire saving a life; they will die in a hospital bed from complications caused by work-related cancer. While every fire setting is unique, each one poses significant safety risks. Buildings contain materials that when burnt, put firefighters at risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals and substances that are breathed in, ingested, and absorbed through the skin and eyes. According to the CDC, firefighters are 14% more likely to die from cancer and have a 9% higher chance of being diagnosed than the general population.

We’ve found that exposed turnout gear and respiratory equipment can contaminate firefighters, vehicles, and fire stations. So we founded CAPP with the sole purpose of teaching and reinforcing best practices for firefighters in the workplace to prevent further exposure to hazards. By putting an emphasis on Clean Air, Clean Body, and Clean Gear education, our mission is to promote a culture of best practices within fire stations nationwide. 

Thank you to our generous supporters The Dauch Family Foundation and San Diego Mustache Madness without whom this program would not be possible.

Clean Air, Body, and Gear
Safety Programs

Interested in learning more safe practices to prevent cancer?
We’ve broken down our program into 3 short videos:
Clean Body, Clean Gear, and Clean Air.
To access these safety programs, simply visit the link below.
View Videos

Begin your journey to a cancer-free
station and department.

Building a successful cancer program within your station won’t happen overnight. The videos give you all the tools you need to start saving firefighter lives but you can get more support to help aid you in your journey.

If you would like to receive in-depth training for your fire station you can schedule a FREE in-person presentation with our CAPP team today.

In-person training includes:

  • 60 min presentation, which consists of a 45 min presentation and a 15 min Q&A for every shift.
  • Helmet Stickers for the department
  • Decontamination Buckets
Schedule Training

CAPP Resources

One of our program’s main goals is to share what we’ve built and make our program accessible to Firefighters and fire stations everywhere by providing it for free.

We’ve made it easier for fire stations and departments to take what we’ve created and implement it to initiate change. You can order informative posters that include information about peers who have won their battle against cancer, warning and identifier stickers to place throughout the stations as task reminders, and other helpful resources to help start your own program.

Donate
Station
Posters
Station Identifier
Stickers
Helmet
Stickers
Department
Memos
Additional
Info
Station
Posters
Station Identifier
Stickers
Helmet
Stickers
Department
Memos
Additional
Info
Station Posters
Station Identifier Stickers
Helmet Stickers
Department Memos
Additional Info
Videos

Videos

The Impact Film

Our video took six months to produce and shares the life-changing stories of 12 San Diego Fire-Rescue Department cancer survivors on their journey to protect and serve the public, but found themselves being the ones who needed assistance. These brave men and women opened up to FirefighterAid and our film producer, Jason Curtis, about their journey. They shared things they could have done differently and what they now do differently to protect themselves.



A special thank you to the brave men and women who have shared their stories to affect positive change.

The Presentation

In this one-hour video you will see the entire CAPP presentation as delivered by our CAPP Ambassador, Kurtis Bennett to a group of San Diego County’s top fire personnel. Kurtis spent years researching firefighter occupational cancers, interviewing and connecting with researchers, authors, and firefighters to build a straightforward approach to fighting occupational cancer. Our presentation is broken down into three simple components and focuses on behavioral changes that is easily be applied to any fire station and department.



See just how easy it is to implement the 3 C’s (Clean Air, Clean Body, Clean Gear) into your department’s every day routine.

Station Posters

Station Identifier Stickers

Helmet Stickers

If you believe in staying on air,
If you believe in washing your gear,
If you believe in doing the small things every day that stand to make a big difference over the course of your career,
Then put this sticker on the back of your helmet and show everyone that you believe in doing the right thing!

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Department Memos

Gallery

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Additional Information

You don’t have to know everything, but you should know yourself and your body pretty well. So if something seems off, you should head to your health care provider and talk to them about it as soon as possible. Listen to your friends, coworkers, and family – they know you pretty well too. While we don’t want anything to ever happen to you, we do want you to be healthy and well taken care of. Being a firefighter or the family of a firefighter can be difficult, and there are many health hazards that can come with the job. That being said, even if you are curious, you should be screened for cancer. Early detection can make a world of difference for many cancer warriors.

It can be very scary, and we understand that. However, you are NEVER alone. We are here for you; your brothers and sisters in the fire service are here for you; and your family is here for you. Please be sure to get regular screenings, wipe down and shower after responding to a fire, wash your turnouts, and wear your breather to help reduce your risks. Additionally, keep yourself educated.

Check out some of the additional resources below to be sure you know warning signs, possible carcinogen origins, and more. If you have questions, please talk to your health care provider as soon as possible. We are all here with you through this journey.

Cancer Prevention Resources

Begin your journey to a cancer-free
station and department.

Building a successful cancer program won’t happen over night, but we’ve given you a great place to start! All the tools you need to start saving firefighter lives are already at your disposal! Yes, you can always do more and purchase the fancy tools to help aid you in your journey, but you can start for free today.



So, why are you still here?! Be a part of the positive cultural and behavioral change and get our CAPP Program in your fire station or your department now! That’s right, we said FREE.

Get in touch with us