TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Before retired fire chief Chuck Ryan led the Tucson Fire Department, he found himself at the center of American history.
Ryan was a firefighter in Fairfax County at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“People thought other high-rises were on fire, other buildings had been hit by airplanes, there were cars crashed in intersections – it was chaos,” he said. “It was just like one of those bad disaster movies, except it was real.”
Shortly after his shift began on Tuesday morning, Ryan’s unit was dispatched to the Pentagon.
“You know we’ve all seen the pictures of the Pentagon; it looked exactly like that. The smell, I can remember it, the smell of jet fuel was thick in the air,” he said.
Ryan said the moment has stuck with him throughout his career.
“The event, I think, awakened I think the consciousness of the American public to the fire service,” Ryan said.
Moment of silence and years of advocacy
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum held a moment of silence for people who died of 9/11-related health effects, the first time the observance has been held.
More than 9,000 people have died from illnesses caused by their time at or near the World Trade Center site since 2001, according to the World Trade Center Health Program. That is more than three times the number of people killed on Sept. 11.
Their recognition follows years of advocacy from firefighters calling for more research about the health risks they face.
“The efforts and evolution of the research with post-traumatic stress and dealing with that, as well as cancer research, respiratory disease research, things like that…all of that, I like to say, is something positive that came out of something super tragic,” Ryan said.
Tucson’s role in firefighter research
In 2022, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified the occupation of firefighting as a known human carcinogen. The Tucson Fire Department, alongside the Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research, played a role in that step.
The Center is home to the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study — one of the most comprehensive efforts to understand cancer risks for firefighters in the country.
Hundreds of firefighters from the TFD were the first to enroll in the study. It was expanded nationwide in 2016, after receiving funding from FEMA. The goal was to identify the factors that cause cancer and what steps can be taken to reduce the risk.
“A lot of the unions and the firefighter advocates and the firefighters themselves have really taken a lot of the research produced and changed some policies and some activities within the fire service to improve health and safety,” said Melissa Furlong, Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research co-investigator.
Looking ahead
The Firefighter’s Cancer Cohort Study is a 30-year program, meaning researchers are a third of the way through. Their long-term goal is to track the health of 10,000 firefighters across the country.
Ryan said it may be a while before the impact of that research is seen, but he hopes future firefighters can continue to serve and keep themselves safe while doing so.
“My vision is a safer occupation, a safer workforce, still doing the same great work, and using research and technology to keep firefighters safer while still protecting the public,” Ryan said.
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