On this episode of the Side Alpha Podcast, FDNY Captain John Haseney tackles an important question: What is stopping fire departments from implementing occupational cancer-focused best practices? 

Captain Haseney has been with the FDNY since 2005, currently serving as the captain for Engine 38. He is a founding member of the department’s Contamination Reduction Workgroup.

Haseney got his master’s degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he wrote a thesis titled, “Overcoming Implementation Barriers Within the Fire Service to Reduce Firefighter Cancer Rates.” The thesis identifies seven barriers that are preventing fire departments from implementing occupational cancer-focused best practices. Read the full thesis here.

This episode of the Side Alpha Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit Lexipol.com.

Before we tackle each, can you share a bit about why you wanted to study this topic?

How did you tackle this topic? What was your methodology of study?

Let’s go through these implementation barriers one by one, and if you can provide a possible solution to each or a takeaway for fire departments, that would be great: