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National Firefighter Registry Congress directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)external icon to create the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) How do I enroll? Enrollment is not yet open, but there will be an opportunity in the near future for all firefighters to enroll. NIOSH will keep this webpage updated as the enrollment period approaches. What is the NFR? The National Firefighter Registry, or NFR, will be a large database of health and occupational information on firefighters that can be used to analyze and track cancer and identify occupational risk factors for cancer to help the public safety community, researchers, scientists and medical professionals find better ways to protect those who protect our communities and environment. With voluntary participation from firefighters, the NFR will include information about firefighter characteristics, work assignments and exposure, and relevant health details to monitor, track and improve our knowledge about cancer risks for firefighters. Why was the NFR created? Studies of cancer in firefighters, including a study published by NIOSH pdf icon found that firefighters may have a greater risk of some types of cancer. But many of these earlier studies did not include volunteer firefighters, or sufficient numbers of female and minority firefighters, to adequately assess their risk. The NFR will include members of these groups, providing a more representative sample of the fire service to gain greater insights into the connection between firefighting and cancer.