The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection, technical rescue services, primary response to biological, chemical, and radioactive hazards, and emergency medical services responses to the five boroughs of New York City.The New York City Fire Department is the largest municipal fire department in the United States, and the second largest in the world after the Tokyo Fire Department. The FDNY employs approximately 10,951 uniformed firefighting employees, 4,274 uniformed EMS employees, and 2,096 civilian employees. Its regulations are compiled in title 3 of the New York City Rules. The FDNY's motto is "New York's Bravest" for fire, and "New York's Best" for EMS. The FDNY serves more than 8.5 million residents within a 302 square mile area.The FDNY headquarters is located at 9 MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn, and the FDNY Fire Academy is located on Randalls Island. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) locals are 94 and 854. EMS is represented by DC 37 Locals 2507 for EMT’s and Paramedics and Local 3621 for officers.
Abstract Rationale Environmental exposures may cause multi-organ morbidity. While we have identified diverse circulating biomarkers related to World Trade Center (WTC) site disease the methylome has not been explored. DNA methylation captures changes in pathways regulating cell-cycle control, genome stability and cellular maintenance, many of which may be involved in aging. WTC exposed first responders exhibit biomarkers of inflammation that may intersect with epigenetic changes. Therefore, in a subset of the WTC cohort we explored their methylome curated for sequences related to validated age-related mediators. Methods WTC-exposed firefighters with lung injury (FEV1 Results Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups, including age (55.9 vs. 52.7 years at baseline; LoCalMed vs. UC), race distribution, spirometry (FEV₁ and FVC), and exposure characteristics. Distinct epigenetic trajectories were observed. Compared with UC, LoCalMed demonstrated predominant hypomethylation within promoter regions (p < 0.001), consistent with increased transcriptional potential, whereas UC showed a predominance of hypermethylation, Figure 1A. IPA predicted tumor inhibition and increased survival in LoCalMed, Figure 1B, while UC showed only isolated retinoic acid receptor activation, data not shown. Reactome pathway analysis further characterized these findings, with LoCalMed-associated genes showing coordinated enrichment across interconnected biological processes related to centrosome organization, cilium assembly, and mitochondrial biogenesis, reflected by higher gene ratios and overlap, Figure1C-E, In contrast, UC demonstrated heterogeneous enrichment, with functionally diverse pathways, Figure-1F, variable gene ratios across functionally distinct pathways spanning multiple biological domains, Figure-1G, and a Reactome overview map dominated by a localized MITF-M-regulated transcriptional module lacking broader pathway integration, Figure-1H. Conclusion A six-month LoCalMed intervention was associated with coordinated epigenetic change across aging-related pathways in WTC-exposed firefighters. These findings support diet as a modifiable factor influencing epigenetic mechanisms relevant to biological aging. Longer follow-up and integrative multi-omics studies are warranted. This abstract is funded by: CDC/NIOSH U01-OH011300
Background A significant limitation to evaluating three-dimensional, time-dependent wildland fire models is the absence of pre-fire, active-fire and post-fire time-synchronized and quality-assured datasets. Aims The 2014 Camp Swift Fire Experiment integrated data from three controlled burns to create an openly available FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) dataset for model evaluation. Methods The study collected infrared (IR) and electro-optical (EO) active-fire imagery, field-based wind and fire measurements, pre- and post-fire aerial imagery and vegetation sampling. Rate of spread (ROS), fire depth and flame height were derived, spatially and temporally aligned. We assessed data quality for accuracy, precision and completeness and presented it through GIS products. Key results Despite sensor and synchronization challenges, vegetation classifications and heat flux data showed strong spatial correspondence. IR- and EO-derived ROS values generally agreed with field-based estimates though anemometer data quality varied. Fire behavior observations were linked consistently to vegetation type and wind measurements. Conclusions The Camp Swift dataset represents fully integrated spatiotemporal measurements suitable for evaluating 3D fire models, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary planning, rigorous quality control and documentation in producing datasets for modeling applications. Implications This work provides a blueprint for future fire experiments and underscores the critical need for quality-assured, integrated datasets to advance operational and research fire modeling capabilities.
OBJECTIVE:Evidence regarding whether first responders have elevated suicide rates is mixed. We investigated if career firefighters and emergency medical service providers (EMS) had increased suicide mortality compared with general populations. METHODS:We included two occupational cohorts of responders employed by United States urban fire departments: 32,925 FDNY firefighters and EMS employed between 9/11/2001-12/31/2023, and 11,917 non-FDNY responders employed between 9/11/2001-12/31/2009. Follow-up started at the later of hire date or 9/11/2001 and ended at earliest of death date or 12/31/2023. We obtained death data from the National Death Index. Demographic-specific US and NYC suicide rates were used to calculate standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% CIs. Multivariable extended Cox models with time-dependent variables assessed associations between select characteristics and suicide in FDNY responders. RESULTS:FDNY firefighters had lower suicide rates than US (SMR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.27, 0.51) and NYC adults (SMR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.41, 0.77). FDNY EMS suicide rates and non-FDNY responders' rates were not significantly different from general population rates. Suicide risk factors included posttraumatic stress disorder (hazard ratio [HR] = 5.44, 95% CI = 2.60, 11.40) and depression symptoms (HR = 5.41, 95% CI = 2.72, 10.77). CONCLUSIONS:Among nearly 45,000 career first responders, suicide rates were not elevated compared with general populations.
Abstract Rationale Dietary interventions can alter the gut microbiome influencing pulmonary function, metabolic pathways, and physiological health. We identified associations between dietary-induced microbiome changes and health outcomes in a cohort with high exposure to particulate matter. Methods Food Intake Restriction for Health Outcome Support and Education(FIREHOUSE) is a six-month randomized, controlled(RCT), parallel, unblinded, exploratory multi-disciplinary dietary intervention. FDNY firefighters with World Trade Center-Lung Injury(WTC-LI) were enrolled in a nutritional intervention and had gut microbiome sequenced pre/post low-calorie Mediterranean diet(LoCalMed), Clinicaltrials.gov:NCT03581006. Microbiome: In a pilot subset, stool samples were collected(Omnigene-Gut, DNA-Genotek) at baseline and 6-month follow-up (N = 20 Usual Care (UC), N = 22 LoCalMed). Samples were prepared with Quant-IT PicoGreen dsDNA Assay kit(Invitrogen). Statistics: Genomic data was imported to One Codex and reads were analyzed against the database(K-mer based classification, and species-level abundance estimation including genome-size adjustment). Comparisons were assessed between: LoCalMed vs UC; BMI loss≥1kg/m2 (primary endpoint) vs non-BMI loss; adherence≥75% to LoCalMed vs UC or adherence<75% by Mann-Whitney U. Volcano (R, GraphPad) and abundance plots (One Codex) were made on N = 7,965 identified species. Results Arrival time to WTC, age on 9/11, duration at WTC, race, smoking history, and baseline pulmonary function (FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC) between LoCalMed and UC were not significantly different. BMI loss ≥1kg/m2 significantly increased FEV1%pred(p = 0.030), and FVC%pred(p = 0.005) compared to their baseline. In addition, there was an increased abundance(red) of Dorea formicigenerans(p = 0.006), Lachnospira eligens(p = 0.017), Eubacterium sp.CAG:38(p = 0.021), Ruthenibacterium lactatiformans(p = 0.027), Amedibacterium Intestinale(p = 0.031), Bacteroides fragilis(p = 0.036), Fig-1A. In contrast, Parabacteroides distasonis(p = 0.008), Alistipes Shahii(p = 0.009), and Paraprevotella clara(p = 0.013), decreased (blue) compared to non-BMI loss subjects. Abundances of the most prominent species based on BMI loss≥1kg/m2 are shown, Fig-1B. In BMI loss≥1kg/m2, both Shannon Index(α-diversity;p=0.023), Fig-1C, and Bray-Curtis dissimilarity(β-diversity;p=0.042) significantly increased, Fig-1D. Adherent individuals displayed higher abundance of Clostridiaceae bacterium AM27-36B(p = 0.002), Firmicutes bacterium CAG:56(p = 0.007), Eubacterium sp. CAG:38(p = 0.007), Eubacterium sp.CAG:202(0.012), Mediterraneibacter massiliensis(p = 0.023), Lachnospiraceae bacterium AM10-38(p = 0.031), and Bifidobacterium bifidum(0.041), Fig-1E. Adherent individuals exhibited an increased α-diversity(Simpson’s index;p=0.017), Fig-1F. Conclusion In a subset of the FIREHOUSE RCT, participants demonstrated an increased α and β diversity, consistent with the literature that a more diverse gut microbiome is associated with beneficial health outcomes. BMI loss and adherence to LoCalMed increased L. eligens and B. bifidum respectively, which have been shown to protect the integrity of the microbiome, whereas B. fragilis provides essential nutrients to maintain gut microbiome. D. formicigenerans represses colorectal tumor growth. Eubacterium sp.CAG 38 has been associated with decreased inflammation in ulcerative colitis. This abstract is funded by: U01OH011300
