Abstract
Although nearly two-thirds of U.S. firefighters serve as volunteers, they are rarely included in studies of firefighters' health. The Firefighter Cancer Assessment and Prevention Study (CAPS), a research component of the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study (FFCCS), has enrolled over 600 U.S. volunteer firefighters to help address this gap. This study found a greater prevalence of cancer-related health behaviors among volunteers compared to career firefighters. These behaviors included cigarette smoking, heavy alcohol use, and obesity. While the differences in behaviors varied between U.S. states, all state-level prevalences were higher among volunteer firefighters than career firefighters. The findings of this study support the need to provide volunteer firefighters with overall and targeted health promotion and cancer prevention programs.