Ellis County
The Ellis County Fire Department (ECFD) is proud to announce it has been officially recognized as a Gold Helmet Department for its participation in the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer. This honor places the ECFD as the 100th leading fire department in the nation dedicated to understanding and eliminating one of the greatest health threats in the fire service today, cancer.
We extend a heartfelt thank you to Rusty Lindsay, Company #5 Chief, whose leadership and dedication have been vital in introducing the NFR for Cancer to our department. He has initiated this effort for each fire department in Ellis County, but also in other departments in western Kansas.
Managed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the NFR for Cancer is the largest initiative focused on researching and mitigating cancer risks among firefighters. There are currently 111 departments participating in the registery, with a total of 42,729 firefighters enrolled. Kansas alone boasts 1,141 firefighters, ranking 5th in participation in the United States. The ECFD was the first volunteer fire department to achieve this recognition in Kansas.
By joining the registry, Ellis County firefighters are contributing essential data needed to develop better safeguards, improved personal protective equipment (PPE), and establish more effective prevention strategies. Participation in the NFR for Cancer is open to all U.S. firefighters, regardless of their department type (career or volunteer), status (active or retired), cancer history, or length of service. Participation is also completely voluntary.
For more information on the NFR for Cancer and how it is helping to save lives, we encourage everyone to visit: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/registry/index.html.