A multi‑disciplinary team will follow fire and EMS personnel over time to measure how exposures, injuries, workplace violence and stress combine to affect long‑term health.
The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) has launched the Longitudinal Inquiry into Fire and EMS (LIFE) Health Study to track career‑long health outcomes for firefighters and EMS clinicians.
Researchers will study combined effects of harmful exposures, job injuries, workplace violence and physical and psychological stress and how these risks may contribute to cardiovascular disease, cancer and mental health disorders.
# What the LIFE Study is
Technicians (NREMT) has launched the Longitudinal Inquiry into Fire and EMS (LIFE) Health Study, a new research program designed to follow firefighters and EMS clinicians over time. The study will collect information about occupational exposures and health outcomes to build evidence on how the risks encountered during these careers add up.
# Why this study now
Research to date has often examined single hazards — for example, chemical exposures or psychological trauma — but NREMT says there has been no large‑scale longitudinal study assessing how multiple occupational risks combine across a career. The LIFE Study aims to fill that gap by tracking people over time and looking at intersections among exposures, injuries, workplace violence, and physical and psychological stress.
# What the researchers will examine
The team will investigate how career exposures and events may accumulate and relate to later health problems. Areas the study will explore include:
Researchers will link those occupational factors to outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental health disorders — conditions NREMT highlights as potential consequences of cumulative risk.
# Who's running the study
NREMT is leading the project in collaboration with multiple institutions: the Emergency Medicine Network, Ohio State University College of Medicine, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI USA), the University of Arizona, and Uniformed Services University/NIDHC. The research team includes specialists in emergency medicine, fire and EMS health, public health, psychiatry, epidemiology, occupational health, and research operations.
# What the study intends to produce
Researchers expect the results to inform safety policies, workplace practices, health interventions, and future research. The project's public website outlines its purpose and longitudinal approach, lists participating organizations and teams, and provides FAQs and study news.
# Participation and next steps
The LIFE Study is not currently recruiting participants or investigators. Those interested can sign up on the LIFE Study website to receive updates and notifications about future participation opportunities.
# Practical takeaway for firefighters and EMS clinicians
This study aims to create a longitudinal evidence base that departments, health providers, and policymakers can use when designing screening, prevention, and support programs. For individual personnel, the immediate action is straightforward: follow the LIFE Study website for updates if you want to be notified when enrollment opens or when the study releases findings.
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