More than 300 Cobb County firefighters who respond to emergencies across East Cobb and the rest of the county have voluntarily enrolled in a federal cancer registry, making their department the largest in Georgia to earn a national health designation.

Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services received Gold Helmet Department status from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on Wednesday, July 29, according to the county. The recognition goes to departments where at least 50% of active firefighters, or more than 300, enroll in the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer. CCFES met the threshold on the absolute-number standard.

CCFES is the 12th department in Georgia to reach Gold Helmet status, but the first of its size.

"Achieving Gold Helmet status represents more than a recognition for our department," Fire Chief Dr. Michael Cunningham said in the announcement. "It reflects our members' commitment to taking care of one another and helping move the fire service forward."

How the registry works

The NFR, launched by NIOSH in April 2023 after Congress passed the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act in 2018, collects occupational and health data from firefighters nationwide. Researchers use it to study cancer patterns tied to on-the-job exposures. As of March 2025, about 23,000 firefighters had enrolled nationally, according to FireRescue1.

The stakes are real. CDC and NIOSH research found firefighters face a 9% higher risk of cancer diagnosis and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general population. Cancer caused 66% of career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from 2002 to 2019.

Who drove the effort

Battalion Chief Ben Holley, who oversees health and safety for CCFES, and Captain Eric Paloski led the internal push to educate members and boost enrollment. Michele Ice, a retired Cobb County firefighter now serving as a NIOSH National Firefighter Registry Ambassador, worked to raise awareness across the department and the state.

In the county's announcement, Ice said cancer has become one of the leading threats facing the fire service and called the registry an opportunity to better understand how the job affects cancer risk and protect future generations of firefighters.

How to participate

The registry is open to all U.S. firefighters, active or retired, career or volunteer, with or without a cancer diagnosis. Firefighters can enroll at nfr.cdc.gov.