RELEASE: Gottheimer Announces Bipartisan Bill for No-Cost Cancer Screenings for Firefighters

Above: Gottheimer announces bipartisan legislation to provide early detection cancer screening to firefighters.

HACKENSACK, NJ — Today, February 27, 2026, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) stood with New Jersey firefighters, local leaders, and state officials to announce the bipartisan Firefighter Investments to Recognize Exposure to Cancer Act — or the FIRE Cancer Act — to expand access to no-cost preventative cancer screenings for firefighters nationwide.

Gottheimer’s bipartisan FIRE Cancer Act will:

• Expand the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program so local fire departments can use funds specifically for cancer prevention and multi-cancer early detection testing.
• Support screenings for cancers, including cardiopulmonary evaluations, blood testing, and ultrasounds.
• Create a joint FEMA-CDC research program allowing firefighters to voluntarily share anonymized testing data to better study cancer trends and causes in firefighting personnel.
• Encourage mobile and on-site screening access to make testing easier and more accessible for firefighters.

Firefighters face a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general public, largely due to repeated exposure to toxic chemicals released from burning plastics, electronics, furniture, and other modern materials.

“In 2025, 80 percent of professional firefighter line-of-duty deaths were caused by cancer. Not burns. Not collapsing buildings. Cancer,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. “That’s the five-alarm fire that doesn’t make the evening news. This legislation says loud and clear: if you run into burning buildings for us, we will run through walls for you.” 

“We’ve identified more than 10 of our members with cancer. Many, many in the early stages. Because if it’s caught in stage one or two instead of three and four, those firefighters have a fighting chance,” said PFANJ President Matthew Caliente. “That’s not a statistic, that’s fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters getting more time with their family.”

“I am honored to stand beside Congressman Josh Gottheimer as he, once again, advocates for professional firefighters to have access to free pre-cancer screenings nationally. I have heard firsthand of the success of this policy here in New Jersey as I have heard from countless firefighters throughout our state who have described how this policy saved their lives. Early detection of cancer gives our firefighters the opportunity to have a fighting chance against this terrible disease. It gives them a chance to fight to stay with their loved ones and to continue to serve our communities. If passed, this policy will provide state governments with the resources that they need to save countless lives. I am grateful that Congressman Gottheimer has taken up the mantle for this initiative and I look forward to supporting him in whichever way I can,” said New Jersey Assemblyman Sterley Stanley (LD-18).

Watch today’s press conference here.

See footage of Gottheimer taking the Grail test here.

Gottheimer emphasized the importance of early detection and leading by example, noting that screenings should be easily accessible and fully covered. Gottheimer also highlighted New Jersey’s leadership in mandating periodic cancer screenings for professional firefighters and called for expanding similar protections nationwide.

As a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Gottheimer has consistently fought to increase funding for AFG and SAFER grants. Since taking office, he has helped secure more than $17 million in federal funding for North Jersey fire departments to support staffing, equipment upgrades, and emergency response capabilities.

Gottheimer also previously sponsored the bipartisan Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act to expand benefits for families impacted by service-related cancers, helped pass the Never Forget the Heroes Act to extend the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, and secured full funding for the World Trade Center Health Program in this year’s government funding bill.

Gottheimer was joined by PFANJ President Matthew Caliente, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco, Bergen County Commissioner Rafael Marte, Hackensack Fire Chief Keith Rosazza, Hackensack Councilwoman Sonya Collins Clark, Hackensack Councilman Philip Carroll, Englewood Fire Chief Jeff Kaplan, Senator Gordon Johnson, Senator Linda Greenstein, Assemblyman Sterley Stanley, Hackensack City Manager Tom Freeman, John Hynes, Hackensack Fire Officers IAFF Local 3172 1st District Vice President, and Justin Derevyanik, Hackensack Fire Officers IAFF Local 3172 1st District Trustee, 

Below: Gottheimer announces legislation to provide early detection cancer screening to firefighters.

Gottheimer’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

Good afternoon.

It’s an honor to stand with our Jersey firefighters – the brave men and women who work around the clock to keep our families safe.  

I want to focus this morning on a number that should stop every one of us in our tracks.

In 2025, 80 percent of professional firefighter line-of-duty deaths were caused by cancer.

Not burns. 

Not collapsing buildings. 

Cancer. 

Firefighters face a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general public.

That’s the five-alarm fire that doesn’t make the evening news.

Every day, whether it’s a house fire, a warehouse blaze, a flood, a car crash, a terror threat, or a medical emergency, you answer the call without hesitation. You run toward danger while the rest of us run away. Your courage is undeniable.

But here’s the hard truth: the most dangerous part of the job often isn’t the flames you see — it’s the things you breathe in and what you carry home on your gear. The chemicals, toxins, and the years of exposure that build up. Nearly everything that burns these days is coated in, or composed of, nasty, toxic chemicals. 

Plastics, electronics, furniture, non-stick pans, rain jackets, pizza boxes, you name it — all contain toxic, cancer-causing chemicals. We don’t just cut down a tree these days and build a chair. No, we treat the wood with heavy metals and glue it together with adhesives made from formaldehyde. The TV has circuit boards full of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury. That’s stuff that sits in your lungs and blood and never leaves. 

One of the most glaring examples: the pile where the World Trade Towers stood. 

We’ve seen the devastating consequences with our 9/11 first responders — not just the nearly 3,000 heroes we lost that day, including 746 from New Jersey — but the thousands who became sick from working on the pile. Why? They were exposed to countless toxins, and many didn’t wear a mask. 

Heroes like Richard Kubler from Hackensack, Clifford Russell Jr. from Fairview, and Neal Hileman from Voorhees. Their courage didn’t end on September 11th — and neither did their fight.

Twenty-plus years later, we still have a responsibility to get the backs of those who stood up for us.

But, it’s not just 9/11 first responders who have developed cancer after years of exposure. It’s many of you and firefighters across our state and country. The most common forms are thyroid, testicular, lung, brain, bladder, and colon. Here’s the part that really burns me up. We know that there are steps we can take to help firefighters find these cancers before they kill them. 

That’s exactly why I introduced the bipartisan Firefighter Investments to Recognize Exposure to Cancer Act — or the FIRE Cancer Act — so that every firefighter in America — volunteer and career — can access preventative cancer screenings at no out-of-pocket cost. 

This legislation says loud and clear: if you run into burning buildings for us, we will run through walls for you.

First, the FIRE Cancer Act expands the Assistance to Firefighters Grant — the AFG program — so that departments and EMS organizations, volunteer and career, can use AFG funds specifically for cancer prevention programs, including multi-cancer early detection testing for firefighters. That includes multi-cancer early detection tests,  rotating firefighters through things like cardiopulmonary evaluations for skin, mouth, and lymph nodes, blood testing for cancer screening, and ultrasounds for thyroid, bladder, and testicular cancer.

We already use AFG to help departments buy trucks, upgrade equipment, and improve operations. This bill makes clear that protecting firefighters’ health is just as important as buying new gear. 

If you are a firefighter, you should not have to spend your time off fighting your insurance company for a screening. You should not have to weigh a copay against your family’s grocery bill. And your loved ones should not have to navigate a maze of red tape after a diagnosis. It should just be covered, no ifs, ands, or buts. 

By the way, in Jersey, thanks to State Senator Linda Greenstein, Assemblyman Sterley Stanley, and Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, we are already covering periodic cancer screenings for professional, not volunteer, firefighters here in Jersey  — and now we should do the same for all firefighters across the country. 

However, here in Jersey firefighters enrolled in the State Health Benefits Plan still cannot access the Grail test which can catch cancer in its early stages. That’s an outrage.

I have called on the state insurance companies to finish the job of covering screenings for firefighters by giving them access to the Grail test, or any other significant multi-cancer screening test, as Grail continues to make necessary improvements as it seeks FDA approval.

Second, my FIRE Cancer Act creates a joint cancer research program between FEMA and the CDC. Under this program, firefighters can voluntarily share anonymized results of preventative cancer testing, so that the CDC can properly study trends and better understand the causes of cancer in firefighting personnel.

You can’t fight what you don’t measure. And you can’t prevent what you don’t study.

That’s not about politics. That’s about keeping promises to those who keep us safe.

And we’re pairing that commitment with prevention.

As I’ve said in firehouses across Bergen, Passaic, Sussex, and beyond: early cancer detection saves lives. Period.

Here in New Jersey, we’ve shown what’s possible. State law mandates access to cancer tests and reimburses costs. We’ve seen how early detection changes outcomes. Now we take that Jersey model national.

Third, we need to make it easy to get screened. Whenever possible, we need the tests to come to firehouses just like this one – as a day of health action to protect you. I know how busy you are between training, responding, shifts, and family. I want to make getting screened no harder than throwing on your gear. Just to show you how easy this is, as soon as I’m done speaking, I’m getting the Grail multi-cancer early detection test myself, right now, right here. 

This test screens for more than 50 types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, liver, colon, stomach, and blood just to name a few. It can catch cancer early, when firefighters may still be asymptomatic.  You shouldn’t have to pay a dime for it. I believe in practicing what you preach. If we’re going to tell firefighters that early detection saves lives, then we should lead by example.

These multi-cancer early detection tests can identify cancers before symptoms even appear. And the ultrasound machine looks for liver and kidney cancers – and you don’t even need to get stuck with a needle. 

All of these tests give you options – and gives doctors time. And, most importantly, that gives families more years with the people they love.

The key here is simple: we’ve got to encourage more firefighters to get tested and to stay on top of regular screenings. Don’t wait. Don’t put it off. The job already exposes you to enough risk — we shouldn’t ignore the risks we can actually fight back against.

Screening saves lives. Period.

We owe it to you to make these screenings accessible – and all of you here can start today. They are set up right here for you and ready to screen. And I’m asking you to take advantage of them. Because protecting your health is just as important as protecting our communities – and looking out for your families.

I also want to thank President Caliente and his team, working with the International Association of Fire Fighters for helping develop the idea for the legislation and being a national champion.

Because here in Jersey, when someone has your back, it actually means something.

That’s also why, as a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I’ve fought year in and year out to increase funding for AFG and SAFER grants, which help our often cash-strapped local departments invest in new trucks, ambulances, air packs, and hiring, training, and retaining firefighters.

Since I was elected, working directly with our local departments, we’ve brought home more than $17 million in AFG and SAFER funding. 

That means more firefighters on shift.  More equipment that works when you need it. More protection for families, and relief for local taxpayers.

I also sponsored the bipartisan Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act to expand death and disability benefits for families impacted by service-related cancers.

I proudly helped pass the bipartisan Never Forget the Heroes Act to extend the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. And in this year’s government funding bill, I helped secure full funding for the World Trade Center Health Program, ensuring care for 9/11 responders and survivors.

And as Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, I helped champion the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, now law, that ensures public servants and their families receive the full Social Security benefits they earned.

Because if you dedicate your life to protecting others, you should never struggle in retirement.

Here’s the bottom line: This isn’t a red issue or a blue issue. It’s a commonsense issue. It’s a Jersey Values issue.

You stand by us when the alarm sounds in the middle of the night.

You get our backs when our families are at their most vulnerable.

You stand by us when conditions are at their worst.

So, we stand by you.

Here in the greatest country in the world — and especially here in New Jersey — we take care of our own. If we continue to do that, our best days will always be ahead of us.

God bless you, your families, and all of our first responders.

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