---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 280e–5"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "280e–5"
heading: "Voluntary registry for firefighter cancer incidence"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/280e-5"
units:
  - "Chapter 6A — Public Health Service"
  - "Subchapter II — General Powers and Duties"
  - "Part M — National Program of Cancer Registries"
---

# §280e–5. Voluntary registry for firefighter cancer incidence

- (a) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) of Health and Human [Services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) (referred to in this section as the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c)), acting through the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in coordination with other [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) as the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) determines appropriate, shall develop and maintain, directly or through a grant or cooperative agreement, a voluntary registry of firefighters (referred to in this section as the Firefighter Registry) to collect relevant health and occupational information of such firefighters for purposes of determining cancer incidence.
- (b) **Use of Firefighter Registry—** The Firefighter Registry may be used for the following purposes:
  - (1) To improve data collection and data coordination activities related to the nationwide monitoring of the incidence of cancer among firefighters.
  - (2) To collect, consolidate, and maintain, consistent with [subsection (g)](#g), epidemiological information and analyses related to cancer incidence and trends among firefighters[^1]
- (c) **Relevant data—**
  - (1) **Data collection—** In carrying out the voluntary data collection for purposes of inclusion under the Firefighter Registry, the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) may collect the following:
    - (A) Information, as determined by the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) under [subsection (d)(1)](#d-1), of volunteer, paid-on-call, and career firefighters, independent of cancer status or diagnosis.
    - (B) Individual risk factors and occupational history of firefighters.
    - (C) Information, if available, related to—
      - (i) basic demographic information, including—
        - (I) the age of the firefighter involved during the relevant dates of occupation as a firefighter; and
        - (II) the age of cancer diagnosis;
      - (ii) the status of the firefighter as either volunteer, paid-on-call, or career firefighter;
      - (iii) the total number of years of occupation as a firefighter and a detailing of additional employment experience, whether concurrent, before, or anytime thereafter;
      - (iv)
        - (I) the approximate number of fire incidents attended, including information related to the type of fire incidents and the role of the firefighter in responding to the incident; or
        - (II) in the case of a firefighter for whom information on such number and type is unavailable, an estimate of such number and type based on the method developed under [subsection (d)(1)(D)](#d-1-D); and
      - (v) other medical information and health history, including additional risk factors, as appropriate, and other information relevant to a cancer incidence study of firefighters.
  - (2) **Information on diagnoses and treatment—** In carrying out [paragraph (1)](#c-1), with respect to diagnoses and [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) of firefighters with cancer, the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall, as appropriate, enable the Firefighter Registry to electronically connect to [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f)-based cancer registries, for a purpose described by clause (vi) or (vii) of [section 280e(c)(2)(D) of this title](/usc/42/280e.md?p=c-2-D), to obtain—
    - (A) date of diagnoses and source of information; and
    - (B) pathological data characterizing the cancer, including cancer site, [state](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) of disease (pursuant to Staging Guide), incidence, and type of [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11).
- (d) **Firefighter Registry coordination strategy—**
  - (1) **Required strategy—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall, in consultation with the relevant stakeholders identified in [subsection (e)](#e), including epidemiologists and pathologists, develop a strategy to coordinate data collection activities, including within existing [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) registries, for inclusion in the Firefighter Registry established under this Act. The strategy may include the following:
    - (A) Increasing awareness of the Firefighter Registry and encouraging participation among volunteer, paid-on-call, and career firefighters.
    - (B) Consideration of unique data collection needs that may arise to [generate](/usc/42/2021b.md?p=8) a statistically reliable representation of minority, female, and volunteer firefighters, including methods, as needed, to encourage participation from such populations.
    - (C) Information on how the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) will store data described in [subsection (c)(1)](#c-1) and provide electronic access to relevant health information described in [subsection (c)(2)](#c-2).
    - (D) Working in consultation with the experts described in [subsection (e)](#e), a reliable and standardized method for estimating the number of fire incidents attended by a firefighter as well as the type of fire incident so attended in the case such firefighter is unable to provide such information.
  - (2) **Report to Congress—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall submit the strategy described in [paragraph (1)](#d-1) to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate not later than 30 days after the date of the completion of the strategy.
  - (3) **Guidance for inclusion and maintenance of data on firefighters—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall develop, in consultation with the stakeholders identified in [subsection (e)](#e), [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) health [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), State departments of homeland security, and volunteer, paid-on-call, combination, and career firefighting [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), a strategy for inclusion of firefighters in the registry that are representative of the general population of firefighters, that outlines the following:
    - (A) How new information about firefighters will be submitted to the Firefighter Registry for inclusion.
    - (B) How information about firefighters will be maintained and updated in the Firefighter Registry over time.
    - (C) A method for estimating the number of fire incidents attended by a firefighter as well as the type of fire incident so attended in the case such firefighter is unable to provide such information.
    - (D) Further information, as deemed necessary by the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c).
- (e) **Consultation and report—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall consult with non-Federal experts on the Firefighter Registry established under this section, and shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that includes, as appropriate, information on goals achieved and improvements needed to strengthen the Firefighter Registry. Such non-Federal experts shall include the following:
  - (1) Public health experts with experience in developing and maintaining cancer registries.
  - (2) Epidemiologists with experience in studying cancer incidence.
  - (3) Clinicians with experience in diagnosing and treating cancer incidence.
  - (4) Active and retired volunteer, paid-on-call, and career firefighters as well as relevant national fire and emergency response organizations.
- (f) **Research availability—** Subject to [subsection (g)](#g), the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall ensure that information and analysis in the Firefighter Registry are available, as appropriate, to the public, including researchers, firefighters, and national fire [service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) organizations.
- (g) **Privacy—** In carrying out this Act, the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall ensure that information in and analysis of the Firefighter Registry are made available in a manner that, at a minimum, protects personal privacy to the extent required by applicable Federal and [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) privacy law.
- (h) **Authorization of funds—** To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $5,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.

## Footnotes

[^1]: So in original. Probably should be followed by a period.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 115–194, § 2, July 7, 2018, 132 Stat. 1506; Pub. L. 118–147, § 2, Dec. 12, 2024, 138 Stat. 1674.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsecs. (d)(1) and (g), is Pub. L. 115–194, July 7, 2018, 132 Stat. 1506, known as the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018, which enacted this section and provisions set out as a note under section 201 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 2018 Amendment note set out under section 201 of this title and Tables.

### Codification

Section was enacted as part of the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018, and not as part of the Public Health Service Act which comprises this chapter.

### Amendments

2024—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 118–147 substituted “$5,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028” for “$2,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2018 through 2022”.