Supporting Statement A

Status: Original and derived artifacts are available for this document.

Download: docx | pdf | html








The National Firefighter Registry for Cancer
(0920-1348, exp. 04/30/2026)

Request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Review and Approval
For a Federally Sponsored Data Collection

Reinstatement without change

Part A





Program Official/Contact
Kenneth Fent, PhD, CIH 
Team Lead, Research Industrial Hygienist
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
P: 513-841-4569
F: 513-841-4486
[email protected]



March 24, 2026


TABLE OF CONTENTS

A.	JUSTIFICATION	4
A1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary	4
A3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction	5
A4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information	6
A5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities	6
A6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently	6
A7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CRF 1320.5	7
A8. A Comments in Response to the FRN and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency	7
A9. Explanation of any Payment or Gift to Respondents	8
A10. Protection of the Privacy and Confidentiality of Information Provided by Respondent	8
A11. Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Justification for Sensitive Questions	…………….10 
A12. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs	11
A13. Estimates of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers	12
A14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government	12
A15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments	13
A16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule	13
A17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate	14
A18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submission	15
REFERENCES	15


ATTACHMENTS
    1. Authorizing Legislation
1a. Original Legislation
1b. Reauthorization of Funding 
    2. 60-Day Federal Register Notice
    3. Privacy Documentation
3a. Privacy Impact Assessment
3b. Privacy Threshold Analysis
    4. Assurance of Confidentiality
    5. Non-Research Determination 











JUSTIFICATION SUMMARY



    A. JUSTIFICATION
A1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

This proposal is a Reinstatement request of information collection #0920-1348 to continue collecting voluntary data from firefighters through the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer in accordance with the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018, which had authorized funding of $2.5M per year through fiscal years 2019-2023, and has been reauthorized through 2028. Three years of OMB approval are being requested.

The President of the United States signed the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018 in July 2018, authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a voluntary registry to collect data on cancer incidence among firefighters [H.R. 931, Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018]. On October 23, 2019, the Secretary of HHS delegated authority for the Registry to the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 

According to the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, NIOSH is required to “improve data collection and data coordination activities related to the nationwide monitoring of the incidence of cancer among firefighters” and “to collect, consolidate, and maintain, epidemiological information and analyses related to cancer incidence and trends among volunteer, paid-on-call and career firefighters” [Sec. 2 (b)]. NIOSH is authorized to collect individual cancer risk factors and occupational history, basic demographic information, status of the firefighter as either volunteer, paid-on-call, or career firefighter, total number of years of firefighting, approximate number or estimate of fire incidents, and other medical information and health history [Sec. 2 (c)]. This information is being collected to evaluate how the data relate to cancer risk among firefighters.

Few state cancer registries collect occupational information, and those that do are often vague and incomplete (Freeman, et al. 2017). Reinstatement of this data collection will help bridge this gap by providing a secure mechanism for U.S. firefighters to register and provide information about themselves and their fire service histories. Over time, cancer diagnoses reported to state cancer registries throughout the U.S. will be matched to firefighter participants in the NFR. This enables NIOSH to evaluate firefighters’ risk of cancer and factors associated with that risk.  

The NFR secure enrollment site (NFR.cdc.gov) launched in April 2023 and already more than 40,000 firefighters have registered across the country (including more than 20,000 in the past 12 months). With continued enrollment, the NFR should help us better understand cancer risk among all types of firefighters, as well as elucidate occupational and other factors that may contribute to or modify that risk.


A2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection 

The purpose of this information collection is for general purpose statistics to be gathered from a registry of U.S. firefighters with the intent to monitor cancer incidence and risk factors among the U.S. fire service. The information collected is the basis for the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer (NFR). NIOSH has an ambitious overall goal of enrolling > 200,000 firefighters in the NFR and 33,333 annually for the next 3 years. This will result in a vast dataset of information that will be used to increase our understanding of firefighter exposures, work behaviors, cancer diagnoses, and other relevant risk factors. At the time of this document, over 46,000 firefighters have enrolled into the NFR.

Without this data collection, NIOSH is unable to meet the requirements of The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018, specifically with respect to Sec. 2(b)(2), “To collect, consolidate, and maintain…epidemiological information and analyses related to cancer incidence and trends among firefighters.”  Currently, most state cancer registries are not able to accurately capture occupation, specifically when pertaining to first responders due to their unique occupational models; thus, making it difficult to estimate the number of firefighters with a cancer diagnosis. The information being collected for the NFR is helping to bridge this gap and allow investigators to better understand how occupational risk factors (and other risk factors) relate to cancer in firefighters. 

NFR information will be used in concert with other sources of information. The information collected for the NFR will be linked with records from state cancer registries and the National Death Index to monitor cancer incidence and mortality. The collected information will help answer questions related to descriptive characteristics of the current U.S. firefighting workforce; how the risk of cancer and mortality (i.e., health outcomes) in firefighters compares to the general U.S. population; if cancer risk changes with increasing firefighter exposures, other risk factors, or by adoption of control measures; and how cancer risk and risk factors vary by subgroups of firefighters.

NIOSH is recruiting participants using a stratified random design to select a representative sample of career and volunteer firefighters from across the country, while over-sampling for women and minorities. In addition to this Targeted Cohort, all firefighters in the United States (18 years of age or older) have the opportunity to register. These firefighters make up the Open Cohort. Both cohorts, which make up the NFR sample, complete the informed consent, user profile, and enrollment questionnaire using a secure web portal. The web portal is accessible to anyone with internet access and minimizes the burden on the firefighter by utilizing skip patterns and auto-populating fields according to previous responses. 

The intent of the NFR is to be generalizable to the U.S. Fire Service, however there may be potential biases that affect our results. NIOSH has the ability to identify potential biases affecting the NFR sample by comparing the demographics and characteristics of NFR participants to those of the U.S. firefighter workforce that are provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), The United States Fire Administration (USFA), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (NFPA, 2015-2017), as well as comparing the Open Cohort and Targeted Cohort. Additionally, with roster counts and demographics information provided by fire departments selected in the Targeted Cohort serving as denominator estimates, NIOSH is able to evaluate characteristics of response and non-response. Cancer rates in firefighters will be compared to the U.S. general population (controlling for demographics and potential confounders). In addition, internal comparisons among firefighters will be utilized in the analysis because that is the most direct way to achieve partial control for the healthy worker selection effect and to explore exposure-response relationships.

The NFR officially opened for firefighter registrations in April 2023. To date, over 46,000 firefighters have enrolled. The purpose for continuing to collect information is twofold; first to continue to fulfil the congressional mandate and secondly to have enough demographic diversity to study specific issues related to cancer and firefighters. 

A3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction

All information for the NFR is gathered electronically. The informed consent, user profile, and enrollment questionnaire are available to all interested participants via a designated, secure web portal developed by NIOSH (https://nfr.cdc.gov/). The questionnaire has been reviewed by subject matter experts who understand the importance of and are mindful to burden reduction of respondents. The subject matter experts (survey methodologist, public health scientists, and U.S. firefighters) have assisted with prioritization of information requested in the enrollment questionnaire to ensure that the vital information is being captured without any additional burden.

The web portal meets all requirements of the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002. Firefighters access the web portal through the dedicated NFR website (www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/registry.html). This website includes frequently asked questions (FAQs) and other important background information about the NFR. After reviewing the NFR website, if firefighters are interested in enrolling in the registry, they click the “Join Now” icon. This takes them to the secure web portal, which has multi-factored authentication (MFA) through login.gov. After creating an account through login.gov, the participant will have the opportunity to complete the NFR informed consent, user profile, and enrollment questionnaire (in that order).

The NFR enrollment questionnaire has been reviewed by a survey methodologist to ensure quality and proper organization of questions. Skip patterns and auto-population of choices based on participant responses are built into the questionnaire to minimize the burden to the participants. Additionally, the questionnaire has preprogrammed dropdown menus for capturing information such as place of employment and various demographics. 100% electronic submission participation is utilized. At this time, alternative methods for enrolling in the NFR are not offered. NIOSH has chosen to use the web portal for enrollment to make the process convenient, scalable, and uniform for all participants. 

Once available, de-identified data and summary results will be accessible to the public as dictated by the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018, through a federal data research center. Currently, summary data is available online via the NFR’s data dashboard. 

A4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018 (Attachment 1a) was signed with the purpose of developing a voluntary registry to collect data on cancer incidence among firefighters. This Act was created because this type of information is not currently available for the U.S. firefighter population. Previous data collection is limited and prior studies lacked sufficient power to examine cancer risk in subgroups of the fire service like minority firefighters. The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018 stipulates the NFR be a voluntary registry of firefighters, so all participants are required to complete an informed consent form during registration. With this stipulation, there are no practical alternatives available to NIOSH to register firefighters. The NFR team has conducted literature reviews, database searches, and contacted state cancer registries to ensure that this information has not been previously recorded. 

Some population-based (i.e., state) cancer registries collect occupational information, but it is often vague and incomplete (Freeman, et al. 2017) because patient information related to work history is often not obtained in the healthcare setting. Among firefighters specifically, one study found that roughly half of career firefighters in Florida with a cancer diagnosis were missing an occupation classification in the cancer registry, and only 17% were classified as a firefighter in the cancer registry (McClure et al., 2019). This estimate would likely be much smaller for former or retired firefighters, or volunteers working a non-firefighting job at the time of cancer diagnosis, since the extent of occupational information ascertained may relate only to current job. Therefore, there is not enough accurate information available from state cancer registries alone to produce comprehensive estimates of cancer burden and risk factors among the fire service nationally. Additionally, the NFR’s method allows for more extensive information to be obtained regarding work and exposure history, demographics, co-morbidities, lifestyle factors, and other covariates. This information will be linked with records from state cancer registries, NDI, and other information databases to monitor cancer diagnoses and mortality and improve our knowledge about cancer risks for U.S. firefighters, especially those linked to workplace exposures. 

The information gathering of the NFR is imperative to fulfill the federal mandate which provides clear instruction on the information and population on which to focus; no similar data is currently available to fulfil this task. 

A5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

This data collection will not involve small businesses. Firefighters likely complete the informed consent, user profile, and enrollment questionnaire while at their respective fire departments or outside of work.

A6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

The respondents are only required to fill out the enrollment questionnaire once. It is NIOSH’s intent to minimize the burden of respondents and therefore the informed consent is located on the same web portal as the enrollment questionnaire. Respondents may opt to return to the web portal to update their personal information in their user profile, including full name, mailing address, email address, mobile number, and work status. It is not anticipated that respondents will update this information more than once per year.   

In order to fulfil the charge given to NIOSH to “develop and maintain… a voluntary registry of firefighters to collect relevant health and occupational information of such firefighters for purposes of determining cancer incidence” NIOSH must, at a minimum, collect the requested information one time from each respondent.  

A7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CRF 1320.5

This request fully complies with the regulation 5 CFR 1320.5

A8. Comments in Response to the FRN and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency

Part A: PUBLIC NOTICE
A 60-day Federal Register Notice was published in the Federal Register on February 24, 2026, vol. 91 No. 36, pp. 8879 (Attachment 2). CDC has received no comments related to this Notice. 

Part B: CONSULTATION
Prior to the start of data collection, the individuals listed below (Table A.8.1) were consulted to obtain their expert views on availability of data, clarity of instructions, recruitment tactics, and survey content. 
Table A.8.1 External Consultations

External Consultations
Affiliation 
Role
Tucson Fire Department
Subject Matter Expert
Hanover Park Fire Department
Subject Matter Expert
Firefighter Safety Research Institute, Underwriters Laboratories
Subject Matter Expert, firefighting and research 
Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research
Survey development & fire service expert
DOL/OSHA, Directorate of Standards and Guidance
OSHA consultant
NIOSH
Epidemiology, cancer subject matter expert
Harrisonburg Fire Department
Fire service subject matter expert
Sarasota Fire Department
Fire service subject matter expert
University of Arizona
Research subject matter expert
University of Miami
Cancer research expert
Rutgers University 
Volunteer firefighter and research subject matter expert
University of Miami
Researcher, subject matter expert
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Subject matter expert

Table A.8.1 Consultations within CDC

Consultations within CDC
Name
Title
Affiliation
Phone
Email
Role
Matthew Dahm
Team lead, Exposure Assessment Team
NIOSH
(513) 458-7136
[email protected]
Environmental health expert reviewer
Robert (Doug) Daniels
Epidemiologist, Health Physicist
NIOSH
(513) 533-8329
[email protected]
Firefighter cancer research expert reviewer
Lynda Douglas
Public Health Advisor
CDC, DDNID
(770) 488-1075
[email protected]
Public health reviewer
Thomas Hales, MD
Medical Officer
NIOSH
(513) 841-4583
[email protected]
Physician reviewer 
Kevin Horton, DrPH, MSPH
Branch Chief, SRB
ATSDR
(770) 488-1555
[email protected]
Registry expert reviewer
David Weissman, MD, FCCP
Director, RHD
NIOSH
(304) 285-5749
[email protected]
Occupational health reviewer 


A9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents

Respondents do not receive an incentive to participate in the NFR. 

A10. Protection of the Privacy and Confidentiality of Information Provided by Respondent

The information in identifiable form (IIF) required for registration into the NFR has been limited to only that needed to confidently link an individual to state cancer registries, National Death Index (NDI), and exposure records. IIF collected from firefighters will include employee ID, last four digits of social security number (SSN), full name, date of birth, sex, and contact information (i.e., email and mailing address, mobile phone number). The last four digits of SSN, if provided, is very useful to match against state cancer registries. NIOSH may use other identifying information (above) to match to state cancer registries and NDI.

The NIOSH System Security & Privacy Officer (SSPO) reviewed this submission and determined that the Privacy Act does apply (Attachment 3a). The following IIF Categories apply to this information collection:”
    • Name
    • Date of birth
    • Last four digits of SSN
    • Mailing address
    • Phone numbers
    • Medical information
    • Email address
    • Military status
    • Employment status
DFSE plans to document the specific data types within the National Firefighter Registry (NFR)’s subcomponent of OCIO Azure GSS Authorization. The OCIO Azure GSS System Security Plan (SSP) defines the process for handling security incidents. The system’s team and the Cybersecurity Program Office (CSPO) share the responsibilities for event monitoring and incident response. Direct reports of suspicious security or adverse privacy related events to the component’s Information Systems Security Officer (SSPO), CDC helpdesk, or to the CDC Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT). The CDC CSPO reports to the HHS Computer Security Incident Response Center (CSIRC), which reports incidents to US-CERT as appropriate.
IIF data is collected and maintained as followed:
    • Respondents are only able to enter their information or see previously entered responses after successfully logging in using multi-factor authentication (MFA). Security of user accounts meets requirements outlined in NIST 800-63-2 levels of assurance (LOA).
    • Once respondents submit their enrollment questionnaires , their responses are uploaded to an on-premise secure and encrypted IT database. Their responses are then cleared from the web portal and can no longer be accessed by them, with the exception of information collected as part of their user profile.
    • User profile information can be edited, but only after successfully logging in using MFA. Certain IIF fields will be masked on the Graphical User Interface because of the sensitivity of the data. For example, last four digits of SSN will be masked after saving.  
    • Data is encrypted at rest and in transit following controls listed in NIST Special Publication 800-53, SC-28. Multiple layers of encryption are implemented on the database. 
    • Collected data (including questionnaire data, exposure data, and matched cancer data) is stored by unique respondent ID. This unique respondent ID is a universally unique identifier (UUID), assigned by the MFA program.   
    • Respondents’ IIF (e.g., name, last four digits of SSN, etc.) will be shared with population-based (e.g., state) cancer registries and the National Death Index (NDI) in order to match their NFR profile with cancer diagnoses and identify vital status and cause of death. However, population-based cancer registries and NDI will not keep respondents’ IIF provided to them for matching purposes. The data exchange must meet federal standard of encryption FIPS 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules, according to CSPO Standard for Portable Media and Mobile Device Security.
    • IIF data is not given to external researchers. However, external researchers may have access to indirectly identifiable data (e.g., sex, race, etc.) through application to a Research Data Center (RDC).  External researchers are only permitted to remove summary data tables from the RDC, which RDC staff will review before releasing to the external researchers to ensure that participants cannot be indirectly identified.
    • The following individuals have access to IIF data: NIOSH employees and on-site contractors operating on CDC network that have been approved for access by NIOSH. Restrictions on internal access and auditing of internal access are implemented and meet the controls listed in NIST Special Publication 800-53 (as amended), Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations.   
    • NIOSH maintains the IIF data according to the NIOSH Records Control Schedule. 
    • NIOSH keeps all individual identifiable data confidential according to an Assurance of Confidentiality (Attachment 4). An Assurance of Confidentiality (AOC) is a formal confidentiality protection authorized under Section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act. An AOC protects individuals and institutions involved in either research or non-research (e.g., surveillance), thereby protecting the data provided by respondents involved in both surveillance and research. 
    • All incidents involving a suspected or confirmed breach of IIF must be reported to OCISO according to the policy titled “OCISO/CDC Standard for Responding to Breaches of Personally Identifiable Information (PII).”
    • Respondents are notified of their privacy protections, including the Assurance of Confidentiality (Attachment 4), through the informed consent document that is required to be signed before advancing to the enrollment questionnaire on the web portal.
Data collection for NFR is done via the custom (Mendix-backed) NFR portal. Collected data (including questionnaire data, exposure data, and matched cancer data) is stored by unique respondent ID. This unique respondent ID is a universally unique identifier (UUID), assigned by login.gov. User accounts are proofed at (LOA3), corresponding to NIST 800-63-2 levels of assurance (LOA). All collected data will be stored in a secure database that meets NIST 800-53, SC-28 PROTECTION OF INFORMATION AT REST standards. Multiple layers of encryption are implemented on the database. Certain IIF fields are masked on the Graphical User Interface because of the sensitivity of the data. For example, last four digits of SSN and month and year of birth are masked after saving.  

Identifiable information provided to state cancer registries or the National Death Index will not be kept by those programs. Additionally, NIOSH has obtained an Assurance of Confidentiality (AoC) for all IIF data collected from firefighters, fire departments, and other institutions (e.g., population-based cancer registries) (Attachment 4). All IIF is kept confidential and, aside from NIOSH or other Federal employees assigned to the project, government contractors, visiting scientists, guest researchers, and fellows and trainees, no one is allowed to see or have access to the information.


A11. Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Justification for Sensitive Questions 

IRB approval is not required. The development and maintenance of the NFR has been deemed non-research (Attachment 5). 

Participation in, and all questions included in the NFR enrollment process are voluntary. The respondents are informed that their responses to all questions are voluntary. Questions 49-52 on the NFR enrollment questionnaire may be considered sensitive information due to the topic of alcohol consumption. The collection of this information is necessary as there is evidence to support alcohol consumption as a risk factor for certain cancers (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/alcohol/alcohol-fact-sheet). The cancers that have been identified as a result of increased alcohol consumption are also of interest in regard to exposure of firefighters. It will be important for the NFR to have this self-reported information in the case of cancer diagnosis and tracking. 

Questions 24-39 may also be considered sensitive in nature due to the subject matter of health history and diagnoses. Again, instructions include that participation in any or all parts of the NFR (including individual questions) are voluntary. 

It is necessary for the NFR to request respondents’ partial SSN to increase the probability of proper identification of the respondent for matching with state cancer registries. Not having partial SSN would lead to substantially decreased sensitivity and specificity in matching against cancer diagnoses in state cancer registries (i.e., there will likely be false matches or missed matches). 

The question that asks for last four digits of SSN specifically notes: (1) the statute authorizing NIOSH to solicit the SSN; (2) how the SSN will be used; and (3) that providing the SSN is voluntary.
A12. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs

Table A.12.1: Estimated Annualized Burden (Hours)
Type of Respondents
Form Name
Number of Respondents
Number of Responses per Respondent
Average Burden per Response (in hours)
Total Burden (in hours)
U.S. Firefighters
Informed Consent
33,333
1
5/60
2,783
U.S. Firefighters
NFR User Profile (web-portal registration)
33,333
1
5/60
2,783
U.S. Firefighters
NFR Enrollment Questionnaire
33,333
1
20/60
11,111
U.S. Firefighters
Records request
30
1
960/60
480
Total

17,157


The NFR enrollment questionnaire was pilot tested by seven individuals prior to launching in 2023; five firefighters and two researcher scientists. The completion times for each respondent were recorded and averaged, along with the time that it would take for a thorough review of the informed consent process. Since launching, we have received feedback from participants who report these burden times to be accurate. 

Respondents to the NFR are U.S. firefighters who are asked to enroll one time. The average respondent spends approximately 30 minutes completing the entire enrollment process, including informed consent, user profile, and questionnaire. With an overall goal of enrolling at least 200,000 firefighters, we anticipate enrolling 33,333 annually over the next 3 years, totaling annual burden hours related to the information collection to be approximately 17,157. This burden estimate includes a group of approximately 30 firefighters who may be asked to assist with department records requests with an average of 16 hours (960 min) per request. The summary of this information is provided below. Additionally, below you will find an estimated annualized burden cost table that provides our estimate of the annualized burden costs, which was based on an average hourly wage for firefighters according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/firefighters.htm). 


Table A.12.2: Estimated Annualized Burden Costs
Type of Respondent
Form Name
No. of Respondents
No. of Responses per Respondent
Average Burden per Response
(in hours)
Total Burden Hours
Hourly Wage Rate
Total Respondent Costs
U.S. Firefighters
Informed Consent
33,333
1
5/60
2,783
$28.62
$79,650
U.S. Firefighters
NFR User Profile (web-portal registration)
33,333
1
5/60
2,783
$28.62
$79,650
U.S. Firefighters
NFR Enrollment Questionnaire
33,333
1
20/60
11,111
$28.62
$317,997
U.S. Firefighters/ Fire Leadership
Records request
30
1
960/60
480
$28.62
$13,740
Total

33,363

990/60
17,157
$28.62
$491,033
Fully Loaded Cost

$982,066
Fully loaded cost calculated using *2  multiplier and (The Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/firefighters.htm)

A13. Estimates of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers

There are no capital or maintenance costs incurred by respondents. There are also no costs or burden to respondents for record keeping. Information requested from fire department leadership (i.e., roster counts) is already being collected and maintained. 

A14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government
To carry out the charge given to NIOSH, Congress authorized funding in the amount of $5,500,000 through the Firefighter Cancer Registry Reauthorization Act (Attachment 1b). Congressional funding in FY2026 was $6,500,000. Estimated costs to manage, maintain, and expand the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer are outlined in Table A14.1.
Table A14.1 Annualized costs to the government incurred by this project
Item
Annualized Cost
NIOSH personnel
$2,500,000
Development, monitoring, and maintenance of the data collection system
$1,000,000
Epidemiological, data science, and other support staff (contract)
$500,000
Enrollment of firefighters at targeted fire departments throughout the United States (contract)
$1,000,000
Travel expenses to meet with fire leadership and other groups to educate, recruit, and enroll participants
$150,000
Intergovernment Personnel Act Agreements to conduct comprehensive statistical analyses
$120,000
Linkages to population-based cancer registries (possible contract)
$250,000
Licensing and other IT costs
$200,000
Cooperative agreements and/or miscellaneous costs
$780,000
Total
$6,500,000
Fully Loaded Annual Cost
$9,500,000

A15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

The privacy impact assessment related to this data collection previously fell under a system that will no longer be in use by CDC, therefore the project has undergone a new privacy assessment. No changes to the data collection instruments have occurred since the Revision in 2024. 

A16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

The NFR team conducts periodic statistical analyses on the data in the system. As available, NIOSH will disseminate the results of this project to the fire service, other researchers, and general public through reports, briefings, presentations at professional meetings, and publication of manuscripts in peer- reviewed journals. It is difficult to predict the timeline for publication as results rely on the time it takes for demographic diversity to be achieved in the NFR database. 

Table A.16.1
Project Time Schedule
Activity
Time Schedule
Surveillance Activity
Ongoing data collection (began April 2023) 
Summary Reports
Every year after OMB approval
Yearly Evaluation
Every year after OMB approval

A17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate

The display of the OMB expiration date is appropriate.
A18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submission

There are no exceptions to the certification. These activities comply with the requirements in 5 CFR 1320.9.

REFERENCES  
BLS. Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (2022). 
Daniels, R.D.; Kubale, T.L.; Yiin, J.H.; Dahm, M.M.; Hales, T.R.; Baris, D.; Zahm, S.H.; Beaumont, J.J.; Waters, K.M.; Pinkerton, L.E.Mortality and cancer incidence in a pooled cohort of US firefighters from San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia (1950-2009). 
Occup Environ Med, 71 (2014), pp. 388-397
Freeman, M.; Pollack, L.; Rees, J.; Johnson, C.; Rycroft, R.; Rousseau, D.; Hsieh, M.
Capture and coding of industry and occupation measures: Findings from eight National Program of Cancer Registries states. Am J Ind Med, 60 (2017), pp. 689-695
McClure, L.; Koru-Sengul, T.; Hernandez, MN.; Mackinnon, J.; Schaefer-Solle, N.; Caban-Martinez, A.; Lee, D.; Kobetz, E. Availability and accuracy of occupation in cancer registry data among Florida firefighters. Plos One, 14 (2019)
NFPA. 
U.S. Fire Department Profile (2018)