Cancer and Reproductive Health in the Fire Service

In the first half of this course, attendees will learn about the cancer risks faced by firefighters, a disease that firefighters have a >2/3 chance of developing in their lifetime. Firefighters will learn about the mechanisms behind this cancer risk, including risks specific to female firefighters, such as wearing bunker gear designed for the male body only, as well as learning about the legislation in Ontario surrounding firefighting related cancer, and, most importantly, attendees will learn actionable steps they can take to prevent cancer, and to diagnose it earlier.

In the second half of this course, attendees will learn about emerging research on the reproductive health of female firefighters. This includes the risk of cancer, birth defects and neurodevelopmental disorders in firefighter's children, exposure of children to carcinogens through breastmilk, and the prevalence of miscarriages and infertility, in female firefighters. Attendees will walk away understanding the impact of firefighting on their reproductive health, and on the health of their children, and will have the knowledge needed to advocate for their health in the workplace and to best protect their reproductive health, and the health of their children.

Lexi Bowman

Lexi Bowman is a Masters of Epidemiology student at McGill University, studying health in firefighters. She holds a Bachelors of Health Sciences from Queen's University, where she completed an undergraduate thesis studying cancer, birth defects, and neurodevelopmental disorders in the children of firefighters, the first study on children of firefighters in Canada, and among the first to include children of female firefighters, becoming an advocate for firefighter reproductive health, and the health of their children, particularly for female firefighters. Lexi is also the daughter of a firefighter. Her Father, Captain Craig Bowman, died in the line of duty in May 2023, of esophageal cancer linked to firefighting. After her Father's passing, Lexi worked with the Government of Ontario to create new legislation to ensure firefighters who develop job-related cancers are recognized, supported, and when needed, honoured in their passing. She has been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal by Premier Doug Ford for her work in firefighting-related cancer, and continues to study the subject, while lecturing for fire departments across Canada, educating firefighters on their cancer risk, and cancer prevention.