Each September, the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF)
honors those who have died in the line of duty during the previous year. This
year, Retired Tualatin Valley Firefighter Ron Bielenberg will have his name
added to the memorial wall. Bielenberg passed away in September 2017 from
occupational-related cancer.
Local 1660 union officers, firefighters, the Tualatin Valley Fire
& Rescue Pipes and Drums Band, TVF&R Honor Guard, TVF&R Fire Chief
Mike Duyck, and two divisions chiefs will travel to Colorado Springs to
participate in the 32nd IAFF Fallen Firefighter Memorial on Saturday, September
15. The delegation will accompany Bielenberg’s family to the service.
The memorial honors the thousands of professional firefighters who
have died in the line of duty. Each year, thousands of attendees travel from
across the United States and Canada to pay tribute to their deceased brothers
and sisters.
There has been a significant increase in the number of firefighters
diagnosed with cancer. From 2002 to 2017, cancer caused 61 percent of all line-of-duty
deaths, according to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. Firefighters are 9
percent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and are 14 percent more likely
to die from cancer than other individuals.
The Tualatin Valley Firefighters Union and TVF&R are committed
to reducing firefighters’ exposure to carcinogens. We’ve also teamed up to support
efforts educating our crews about cancer prevention.