FAQs Are firefighters’ risks for certain types of cancer significantly higher? Firefighters’ risks are significantly higher for some specific types of cancer than the general population. In 2013, NIOSH researchers reported a two-fold excess of malignant mesothelioma, a very rare cancer.

Three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke alarms More than one-third (37 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present. The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.