Firefighter Skin Screening Program
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Join us in giving back to the firefighter community!
We anticipate screening over 200 firefighters at each event. That means we need YOU there!
PHYSICIANS/FELLOWS/RESIDENTS | Volunteer your time by performing the exams. Remember, the exam also presents the opportunity to educate. It is helpful to thoroughly explain your findings, explain warning signs, and answer their questions. The firefighter leaves your care with a copy of your exam form with your findings as well as a written recommendation for follow up with their dermatologist if needed. Volunteer physicians performing the exams must be licensed in the state of Pennsylvania.
Medical Assistants and Students | Volunteer your time by assisting the physicians performing the exams, taking the firefighters into their exam room, assisting with the pre-exam documentation, or by staffing our information desk to answer any questions and provide educational materials.
The PAD follows the standards provided by the American Academy of Dermatology Firefighter Skin Cancer Checks.
Click below to be added to our volunteer mailing list!
You will be the first to know of any updates for this and any future volunteer opportunities.
2026 Screening Event: TBA
BRING US TO YOUR COMMUNITY!
We would love to bring this program all over the Commonwealth!
Please reach out to PAD staff at info@padermatology.org with any questions or inquiries. We are happy to provide you with more information and schedule an event with you.
FAQs
Q: How much will this cost?
A: We do not charge any fees for volunteer services!
Q: What do you need from us?
A: If possible, access to tables, chairs, and electricity is appreciated. We provide the volunteer staff, privacy tents (pictured below) to perform the exams in, disposable gowns and other exam supplies, educational materials, sunscreen, and other body care samples to take home. In the past, our hosts have provided us with a large indoor space to set up our privacy tents. With weather permitting, we can absolutely do all of this outside. We do need at least one member of your team on site with us to assist with logistics.
Q: Do our firefighters need to make an appointment?
A: We do prefer the firefighters "make an appointment" by signing up for certain time slots. This is so our team is prepared to provide a quality exam and so those in the "waiting room" are not waiting for too long if we get a large wave of people all at once. We know how busy you are! Our staff can set up the sign up sheet and will send your team the link to share it with your firefighters, or your team can handle the scheduling if you prefer.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Cancer is the most dangerous threat to firefighter health and safety.
Cancer is one of the most serious—and too often overlooked—threats to firefighter health and safety.
Every fire scene is different. Structural and vehicle fires produce different kinds of smoke and toxic byproducts, and exposure levels can change dramatically based on what’s burning (building materials and contents) and the fire’s conditions, including temperature and oxygen levels. Exposure can also vary by phase of the response. During knockdown, firefighters are often surrounded by heated gases, vapors, and fine particles at high concentrations. During overhaul, exposures may be lower, but they can still be present—yet respiratory protection is more likely to be removed during this stage, increasing the chance of inhalation and contamination.
The impact is clear in the data:
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Cancer accounted for 66% of career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from 2002–2019, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).
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Firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population, according to CDC/NIOSH research.
Skin cancer—especially melanoma—is also a major concern:
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A JAMA Dermatology study found 0.7% of firefighters surveyed had been diagnosed with melanoma, and 3.5% reported a history of nonmelanoma skin cancers.
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Firefighters have a 21% higher risk of melanoma (Jalilian et al., 2019).
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Firefighters ages 30–49 have a 62% higher risk of melanoma than people the same age in the general population (Pukkala et al., 2014).
Reflecting this evidence, leading experts working with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classify firefighting as a known human carcinogen, and they specifically identify melanoma as a cancer of concern in the fire service (Demers et al., 2022).
Why the increased risk? Firefighters can be exposed—often repeatedly—to carcinogens such as asbestos, benzene, formaldehyde, PAHs, and PFAS. These substances can enter the body by breathing them in, accidentally ingesting them, or absorbing them through the skin—especially during fire suppression and in the contaminated environment that follows (“Systemic Exposure to PAHs and Benzene…,” 2014; Mazumder et al., 2023).
Supporting prevention and early detection, the Pennsylvania Academy of Dermatology is helping protect the fire service by conducting free skin cancer screenings with firefighters across Pennsylvania, making it easier to catch skin cancers early—when treatment is most effective.